


The Shadows Darken

by CrystalHeartZyx



Series: The Shadows [2]
Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, Follows Main Story, I suck at writing romance, It develops as it goes, Oh look it's still going, So many OCs, This needs so much editing, Torturing my characters is fun, Where did all the author's notes go?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 11:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 148,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19250374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalHeartZyx/pseuds/CrystalHeartZyx
Summary: Six months have passed, Zytaveon and his friends have grown in power, and the journey to fulfill the Great Prophecy continues. But another prophecy is happening as well, one that the goddess Zyanya is determined to fulfill, no matter what the cost. Zytaveon finds himself caught in the middle, and having to face the future of darkness that she has planned for him. Follows main story





	1. It's Time

**Author's Note:**

> Ta-da! Sequel to The Shadows of a Heart. I plan to make the books into five different stories for convenience sake. All rights to the books belong to Rick Riordan. Please review with suggestions, questions, or anything else to help me improve the story. :)

"You are hereby sentenced to the Fields of Punishment."

"How dare you?!" The soul of the man on trial shouted. They always resisted. "A brat like you has no right to judge me! Where is the  _Lord_  of the Underworld?!"

"He does not find he is necessary to judge a soul such as you. Besides. He has declared me the King of Souls, and I am more than enough to deem you unworthy of even the Fields of Asphodel. Have you a final statement?" The spirit growled and gritted his teeth. Suddenly he launched forward, the anger in his soul resisting. The Soul King waved his hand, unconcerned, and suddenly the soul was wrapped in chains coming from the ground, walls and ceiling. This was his realm, and no soul could possibly harm him.

"I'll take that as a no," He said calmly. He raised his black staff and slammed it against the ground next to him, the pounding sound reverberating throughout the room. The spirit and the chains began to glow before they disappeared, sending the soul to his punishment.

" _Sire, you have a guest_ ," A skeleton said to him.

"Send them in." The skeleton crumbled, disappearing, and after a moment the large double doors to the room opened slowly on their own, but a figure pushed them open further impatiently.

"Hello,  _Soul King_!" A cheery woman's voice called, emphasizing his title in a mocking way. Seriously, ever since he was given the title, his friends would not shut up about it and how it didn't seem like him. He  _was_ only a teenager, after all, and they knew him better than anyone else. If anyone else was addressing him with such a teasing tone, they would be blasted to oblivion already, but a smile creeped across his face as he stood from his throne.

"Zyanya. What are you doing here?"

"Picking you up, sweetheart. It's time. I've already informed your father, so no need to worry about being absent to your duties. Let's go to your room, pack, and then hit the road!"

"And where have you been for the past few months? I've had Audrey and Emily come visit, but you literally came maybe twice, three times at most." She slumped dramatically.

"Excuse me if I was helping out with the Argo II. We have half the time expected to create the thing, and Leo wants to make sure that it's to our liking. Besides, you've handled yourself just fine. Don't need me to hold your hand through everything, do you? And anyways, I'm here now, so come on! I'd love to see what you've done with the place." He smiled and followed her out.

"So how've you been?"

"Normal, if normal means working my arse off following Leo's instructions and making the Argo II while also dealing with a goddess constantly bickering in my head. She's quieted down a bit more than the last time you saw us, so you get to deal with my  _wondrous_  human personality more often."

"Oh, how lucky I am," He said sarcastically. She shoved him, and clearly she hadn't lost the goddess's strength even if the goddess was settling down within her.

"You know you love me."

"Who wouldn't?" He crossed his arms and kept up a scowl as best he could, but on the inside he really meant it. "Oh, this is my room. Come on." He opened the door and walked in, setting his staff against the wall before snapping. Lights snapped on, the one on the ceiling light purple, while the one on the nightstand was light green. The room looked like it came out of a mansion, but it was the room for the Prince of the Underworld, so it was understandable. There was a queen sized bed with disheveled black sheets (of course he didn't bother making his bed most mornings; he was still a lazy teenaged human, and old habits die hard), a flat screen across from it with a dresser beneath, and a bay window on the opposite side of the room showing a view of the Fields of Asphodel. Against the wall were two pianos, one an electric keyboard, and the other a literal grand piano. Music played throughout the room, seemingly from everywhere with no discernible music source.

"Love the piano," Zy said, sitting down at the grand piano and cracking her knuckles. The music playing throughout the room silenced as she began to play the keys, but when she played, the notes weren't that of a piano, but of a…guitar? If she wanted to mimic different instruments, that was what the electric keyboard was for. But then multiple instruments played at once, and that was certainly not possible with the electric keyboard. She began to play "Obstacles" by Syd Matters, her hands moving across the keys impossibly fast, but she seemed relaxed and barely concentrating as all parts of the song played smoothly.

" _Let's say sunshine for everyone…_ " She began and he sat down next to her as she played. She swayed to the beat as she sung, and nudged for him to join her. He rolled his eyes, but by the next stanza he opened his mouth to sing too.

" _Someday, we will foresee obstacles…_ " As they reached a part where no lyrics were sung, she scooted farther down the piano bench and motioned for him to start playing. He looked at her incredulously - he barely knew how to play, not to mention how to play a piano with multiple instruments coming out. She rolled her eyes as though obviously he knew how to play like an expert, and suddenly his hands were tugged against his will and onto the keys before playing the notes perfectly. She smiled and continued the song, moving to the next part.

" _We played hide and seek in waterfalls…_ " His hands moved without his consent, but he began to fall into a zen, allowing his instincts to take over, his hands to play on their own, and the song to flow through his mind. Before he knew it, the song was over and his hands suddenly felt heavier, freed from that force that allowed them to flow across the keys so effortlessly. Then he realized Zy was leaning against him, a bit close for comfort, and then her hand slid to his, barely brushing it, but enough to make him warm in embarrassment. He couldn't tell if she liked him or just found him her best friend, and even after he'd kissed her all those months ago, she acted as though it had never happened.

"W-What was that?" He asked.

"Compensation for not visiting as often as I promised. And a "welcome-back-congratulations-on-being-promoted-to-Soul-King-now-let's-go-on-another-life-threatening-trip" present." He laughed and she smiled deep in thought. Suddenly she jumped up and grabbed his hand for him to do the same. "Just wait until you see what Audrey and Emily have planned. Come on. Grab what you think is essential, put it in a bag and let's move!" He laughed again, but complied.

It had been six months since he'd come to the Underworld to live and work for his father, and now it was time for him to continue as Zyanya's agent, working to help fulfill the prophecy and save the world. Great. Wonderful. He really did wonder why she hadn't come and visited him more often, even though she'd promised she would. To be honest, he was hoping he'd get more time with her, though he was okay with whatever she wanted. Still, he wasn't even sure about their current relationship status at the moment. If the goddess had anything to say about it, he was never gonna date her host. But hey, she hadn't said no either. She just said it would be a while. He collapsed face first onto his bed, exhausted at just the thought. He felt the bed shift as she sat down next to him and laid back into his pillows. Clearly she was just as tired about something.

"Do we have to leave right now?" He asked, his voice muffled by the sheets.

"My, and here I thought you were the high and mighty Soul King."

"I'm off duty." She laughed.

"No problem. We're not expected to be back until tomorrow, anyway, but Audrey said I should try and get you back as soon as possible. She and Em are eager to see how life's been for you."

"Souls to judge, powers to learn, etc. Done."

"Tell that to them, not me."

"Well I'm going to sleep." He snapped his fingers and the lights shut off. He felt shuffling and then was pulled up to lay properly on the bed. He was looking forward to seeing his friends again, seeing how they've grown and showing them what he's learned. He knew how to be serious for his job in judging souls, but it was nice to act like a normal teenager again. Still, there was a nagging feeling of dread trying to eat away at him. The prophecy of the pit, or the Tartarus, still had yet to be solved or fulfilled, and all he knew was that it meant trouble for him. He pushed it to the back of his mind for now. Now, he had to focus on being the protector that Zyanya chose him for and assisting her in fulfilling the Great Prophecy and the demigods involved. He was going to see his friends tomorrow, and nothing else really mattered. Things would be fine.

* * *

First Person: Lucy

Things were so not fine. These six months had gone by so slowly yet so fast. I wanted to visit him, I really did, but I'd only be reminded of what I had to do. I knew it had to happen, I knew it had to be done, but I still felt terrible about it. Gods, it was gonna tear me up inside. I swallowed the feelings as long as he wasn't there, and with Zyanya's help, but now that I was here and with him, I'm not sure I'd be able to hold out. There was no excuse for it, and even if he made it through the trials, would that even ensure happiness to him? Would he hate me when he learns the truth? I didn't want that, I never would, but I went with this anyway. I knew the alternative. All or nothing. But then again, would failing and having him die save him from an eternity of pain that was in store for him? Which would truly be better? Release, or survival?

" ** _You must stop such thoughts,_** " Zyanya mentally told me, and I took a deep breath, brushing a stray hair out of his face. I really shouldn't be watching him sleep like a stalker, but this may be the last time he rests peacefully for a long time, maybe forever.

" ** _I know. I'm trying._** "

" ** _Maybe not hard enough. I chose you as a host because I believed you were above this._** "

" ** _I am! I…It's just that you're weakening is flooding me with emotion I haven't had to face in a while. I'll handle it._** "

" ** _I shall hold you to that. We cannot have you getting all emotional during these delicate times._** "

" ** _Of course. Understood._** "

"Zyanya," A voice said behind us. We turned to look at Hades who had silently appeared in the room. I wasn't surprised to see him. "As per our agreement?"

"She shall be returned to you once he's gone. Tomorrow. However, it seems she wishes to remain by his side. Here." I removed his mother's ring from him and tossed it to Hades. He examined it for a moment, speaking to the soul inside. "It is up to you whether you want her here or with him." Hades stared at the ring for a moment longer before tossing it back to me.

"If there is any human within you, Zyanya, I hope that you shall do everything in your power to help him. Ultimately, the decision and trials must be conquered by him, but…"

"Yes, I know, Hades. I want him to survive this just as much as you. The human within me can promise that she's…terrified for him. But she can also say this. I promise on the River Styx, that I will do everything in my power to help him through this."

"Thank you."

"Thank  _you_. I can't speak for him, but…this option is better than the alternative."

"I have a query for you, the human within you. Let me speak to her alone, if that's okay." I nodded and then felt Zyanya retreating.

"She's asleep. What…what's up?"

"Do you care for him? Not just as the one you require, and not just as a friend?"

"I…yeah. I'm afraid for him, terrified, but not only by what he may have to go through, but also that he'll hate me for it."

"As long as you watch out for him, make sure that he survives this no matter what, then know that I believe you have his best intentions at heart."

"Thank you, Hades."

"Do not break his heart if you can avoid doing so."

"Believe me, I'd trade places with him if I could, but I can't. I want nothing more than for his happiness and survival."

"That's all I need to know. And keep that goddess within you under control. She cares not for the suffering he must go through to prepare him for the trials, and the suffering the trials themselves will present. She wants him to succeed, but this is all a game to her, whether she wins or loses, and I hope the human in you can influence her. Farewell. I'm putting much trust in you, and I hope it isn't for naught." The god darkened to become a shadow which then dissolved and disappeared. I laid back down next to Veon, staring at his calm face while he slept. No matter how many promises I make, no matter how much I wish I could have my way, it was all up to him in the end. And now, realization struck me.

I realized this here, this night, was quite literally the beginning of the end.


	2. Return to Camp

First Person: Zytaveon

"VVVEEEOOONNN!"

The first thing I encountered when I stepped through the portal from the Underworld to Camp Half-Blood is a tackle from a blue blur that knocked the wind out of me.

"There you are! We were expecting you back yesterday! What did you two do?!"

"What the heck does that mean?" Zy asked while I was trying to see what had happened.

"A-Audrey?" I asked. I'm sure that was her voice, but I was still blinded and trying to catch my breath.

"Well duh. Who else would it be? Well, Emily maybe, but she's not one to act like this, right? Hey, are you okay?" I put my hand above my eyes to try and block out the sun, but it was just  _so damn bright!_  I was blinded here, and my eyes didn't seem to want to adjust.

"Your time in the Underworld might have made your eyes vulnerable to sun rays more than normal," Zyanya said before slipping a pair of sunglasses on me. That helped a lot. "These should adjust as your eyes do to help them get used to light again."

"Aw man, why does he get to look all "Men in Black" on us? Seriously, dude. You're wearing  _all black_. At least back at school you wore green and dark blue."

"Well excuse me if I like black. Don't worry, I can change it." I concentrated and changed my jacket to be olive green, my jeans to be dark blue and my combat boots to be brown. "Better?"

"Well…it's a start. You literally haven't changed your wardrobe  _style_  either. How can you stand wearing that jacket, jeans, boots and black T-shirt in summer?!" I shrugged.

"Don't know. Ask Zy that. She's literally wearing the same thing but fitted to a female."

" _I_  have a bag, my shirt is camouflage, I'm wearing fingerless gloves, and I rock the hunter look  _way_  better than you," Zyanya declared.

"I got the sword."

"I got the guns, quite literally."

"We are  _not_  having another argument about who looks best, are we?" Audrey asked. "It was bad enough when it was just videogame characters, but now it's you guys in real life. There you are Emily! Please save me!" She put her arm around Emily's shoulders as she walked up and put her other hand to her forehead dramatically like she was swooning. All of us laughed at her drama, but I guess we all met in the drama department at school, so we were all drama kings and queens.

"What am I saving you from again?" Emily asked.

"A heated debate between man and goddess over who has the best looks!"

"Hey, just because I'm an Aphrodite girl doesn't mean I'm a fashion expert. I'm pretty sure my cabin would be happy to help though."

"Yeah, how about no?" I said. "I may not have been at the camp long before I went to the Underworld, but I know that if I set foot inside that cabin, I wouldn't escape for days." Emily laughed before granting me a welcome hug.

"Ve, have you gotten taller?"

"I don't know. Have I?"

"Man, it's been longer than I thought. How was it in the Underworld? How much did you learn? How's being the King of Souls going?"

"Great. I am the Soul King of the Underworld. Eat that, Ghost King!" She laughed.

"By the way, Nico's come over to say he's going to the Roman camp with us."

"Great. I question why he's allowed to go back and forth between the camps, but I'm not complaining. We get to go tomorrow, anyway, and I've seen him in the Underworld a couple times when he brought in some rogue spirits and such that I get to condemn. Besides, Hades actually pays me for my job, can you believe it? I guess he  _is_  kinda the god of the riches in the earth and whatnot, but he pays me well. When we get the chance, Zy and I are  _so_  going to the videogame store."

"What about us?" Audrey asked indignantly. I sighed dramatically and tried to look annoyed.

"I guess I can take you guys shopping too…" Audrey shoved me and a smile forced its way out. "I'm kidding. I will spoil my friends rotten. It's not like I'm using the money for much anyway. So, how's life been here at camp?"

"Average," Emily said. "Learning our powers, helping with the Argo II, etc. We've been hanging out with the Apollo cabin because of their music talents, and Zy even hooked them up with instruments. Those guys can learn to play an instrument in like, and hour, and are awesome singers. It's so cool. Not to mention they're great healers, they're great with a bow and arrow, and are some of the most fun people at camp. Of course, everyone's different, but we get along with them well. Not much stands out after that, really. Oh! Speaking of the Apollo cabin, come on! We have something to show you!"

"What?"

"It's our "welcome back" surprise!" They pulled me off to the Apollo cabin and found most of them gathered outside.

"What is this?"

"You'll see." Zy cleared her throat and the kids all perked up from their normal chatter, focusing. Some of them pulled out instruments, from percussion to woodworms, brass and strings. Then, Zy began conducting and I looked to Audrey and Emily, grins taking over their faces.

"You did not."

"We did!" Emily said squealing in excitement. "I hope you like it."

"Are you kidding? How the heck did you manage this? Why?"

"Because we wanted to, dolt," Audrey said. "Hope you know the lyrics."

"Sort of, but-"

"Then let's do this thing." She dragged me over to the group of kids who didn't have instruments and were going to sing. When the cue came, I began to sing Sephiroth's theme from Final Fantasy VII. Audrey and Emily weren't Final Fantasy fans, though they didn't hate the games either, per se, and I can't believe they'd teach the entire Apollo cabin to learn to play the song. I had to admit, they were awesome singers and instrument players.

Turns out, Zy had gotten the camp to sing all kinds of songs she knew, even getting them computers with access to all kinds of music that didn't attract monsters. That was great, because during the camp fire at the end of the day, the entire camp was singing along to songs, no matter how good or bad they were at singing. It was great to have that kind of bond with people, all singing like fools as one big family. It had been a long time since I'd felt that happy and joyful, as the Underworld was nice, but not…well, this. Zy knew how to put on a party, and apparently this had happened at every campfire since she'd come, singing songs and partying with the campers, just forgetting all the worries demigods had.

That night, I slept in the Hades cabin with Zy, Audrey and Emily. We caught up on things that we'd done around camp, some of the powers we'd learned and become better at. Only combat could truly show what we'd learned, but it was fun to spend the night with them like normal teenagers again. We talked about the modifications Leo had made on the Argo II to make us comfortable, and the making of the giant ship that was tiring, but also a good way to get the kids at camp that would help working together. This place really was a tight-knit group, a family, and I couldn't get enough of it. That didn't last long, as I went to sleep, though.

I found myself in a cave-like place, and all I knew, was I was standing over a cliff. The pit before me was dark and endless, and I knew I needed to run from it. But I couldn't. There was a force down there drawing me in, and it took all my willpower not to dive in head first, even if I knew it would bring me nothing but pain. Others fell into the blackness to my side, but I didn't care who they were, the darkness taking my mind, telling me to come, but also telling me to suffer. I was afraid; petrified. The earth shook, the ground beneath me crumbled, and I fell into the pit.

" _Veon!_ " Audrey shouted, and I felt a tight grip on my wrist, just barely saving me from the plunge. " _Emily, help me! Gods, why the heck do you have to be so heavy?!_ " A pair of hands all grabbed onto my wrist and worked to pull me up, but the ground crumbled and shook, and they were forced to stop their efforts. I felt their warmth, their desperation to save me. I didn't want to go. I didn't want to fall there! I looked up to them, pulling on their hands to help them hoist me up, but then saw another face: Zyanya's.

" _Let me! I can handle this!_ " She reached down and grabbed my arm and Audrey and Emily let go. " _Secure the statue!_ " The two of them nodded and ran off, but once they were gone, Zyanya's face darkened as she looked to me. " _I'm sorry._ "

" _No!_ " I shouted, though I didn't command the words to come. " _No, Lucy, please, no!_ " The ground shook, and I felt her grip loosen so that she was no longer holding on to me, and I was frantically trying to hold onto her. " _Please! What are you doing?! Help me! I can't-!_ "

" _I'm sorry,_ " She repeated, though her voice seemed to be breaking.

" _Lucy! Lucy, please don't let her make you do this!_ "

" _I_ _have no choice._ "

" _You have every choice! There is no such thing as not having a choice!_ "

" _You don't understand. When you do, you'll see the choice that I'm making and why._ " She began to shake her hand and my grip loosened.

" _No, wait! NO!_ " But I lost my grip, felt my fingers slip from her wrist, and then felt gravity pulling me down into the darkness, my last sight being my best friend, letting me fall with no regret or even pity left in her eyes. My best friend was gone.

The wind stung my face as I fell, but when the blackness finally disappeared, I was too exhausted to look around for any way to catch myself. I planned to die here, and when I hit the ground, pain surged through my every being. Let it kill me. My soul was already shattered. My best friend was gone. I would never escape this place she'd left me to. Whatever was down here, was something I would never escape now. And my best friend had left me to die to it.

I jolted awake, my body stinging with pain.

"Veon?" I jumped back, summoning my lance and pointing it at Zyanya. "Whoa, hey, it was just a nightmare. Please, it's me." She snapped and the torches on the walls lit with green flames to reveal her face. I liked the color of the flames normally, but the lighting only made her face more ominous right now.

"Y-You…"

"Look, I'm not gonna hurt you. It's me." She put her hands up in surrender and made no attempt to get closer. Right. This was Zyanya, this was Lucy. My friend was tough, but she could never be cruel to me, regardless of the goddess within her. That was just a dream, just my worrying, my fears trying to attack me and scare me. I sheathed my lance and she sighed in relief.

"I…I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You were freaked out. May I…?" I nodded and she took my wrist. "You're 103.4 degrees, heart rate 197. Here, drink some water." She summoned a glass of water and passed it to me before she went to the nightstand and clicked on a radio that played some calming music. I drank the cold water as she slowly sat down on the bed, making sure to keep her distance but also stay close enough to avoid looking like she was being overcautious since she knew that would hurt my pride. So considerate and smart. Thank the Apollo in her that she's a doctor and knows exactly how to treat a patient. How could I ever think that thing in the dream was her? It was just my imagination running wild.

"You wanna try to go back to sleep? Or do you want a midnight snack?" She suggested, staying quiet to not wake Audrey or Emily.

"I could go for some ice cream." She smiled.

"Sure." She passed me a bowl of ice cream that suddenly appeared in her hand. It was still kinda weird to have her randomly summoning things out of nowhere, but I was adjusting to it. She began eating her own ice cream, maybe so that I wouldn't be the only one eating while she was watching (awkward) or maybe because the human in her just wanted ice cream too.

"Do you want to tell me what your nightmare was about?" She asked. I scooped another spoonful of ice cream in my mouth.

"Well…I-I was falling into this pit. You were trying to pull me to safety, but the ground was crumbling and shaking, and there was some force  _pulling_  me down in. You…you weren't able to hold on,  _I_  wasn't able to hold on, and…I fell. I…think I believed that I'd never see you or Audrey or Emily ever again. It scared me, but also made me…sad. I gave up, and then I hit the ground after a long fall. I was in pain, and…I guess I felt like I was dead. I'd never see you all again, and my death wouldn't even send me to my father either. It was terrifying, and wherever I'd landed sent fear straight through my soul. Then, I woke up."

"I see. I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry about? It was just a dream. My mind being annoying and trying to scare me with my worst fears. But it's just me and my mind being stupid. It's nothing to worry about."

"Well…if you say so. But if these nightmares keep plaguing you…I recommend some sleeping draught. It…might help you have a dreamless sleep, and maybe I could cook some up that can help you control your dreams too. The dreams of a demigod are rarely just a coincidence. Sometimes they show you things that are happening, or sometimes they show you things that  _could_  happen. But be careful what you believe and what you don't. It could always be Gaea trying to scare you with your worst fears, plant some bad ideas in your mind so that your resolve wavers and you hesitate. I wouldn't put it against her if she tried. Actually, I would, because I don't want her messing with my friends, but you get the point." I smiled and nodded, eating the last of my ice cream. She took my wrist. "Looks like your temperature and heartbeat are regulating. I suggest you go to sleep. We're heading off to find Percy Jackson tomorrow, and the Roman camp, so it's gonna be a hectic day."

"Okay." I passed her my bowl of ice cream and laid down. I'll admit that I was tired, but my mind wandered to the dream. That could never be my friend, I told myself. Even if Zyanya tried to do that, Lucy would never let her, and it  _was_  Lucy's body that the goddess was in. My friend would never allow that to happen, no matter what. I concentrated on the music Zy had put on, and eventually found myself falling into a dreamless sleep. My best friend was never going to do that. She would never let me down.


	3. Arriving at Camp Jupiter

First Person: Audrey

"Apparently Percy likes all his food blue," I explained.

"Do you feel the same way?" Veon asked.

"Well I  _like_  the color blue, but it's not like I'm going out of my way to eat blue pancakes or blue pizza. I still can't wait to meet my half-brother. Annabeth's told me all about him, but I'm still excited. Another kid of Poseidon like me, you know?"

"Well, Nico should be arriving any moment to take us to the Roman camp," Zyanya said. "I've got ties there, as well as Nico, so we should be able to get you in without much trouble. Percy should be arriving at the camp today, so we go and look for him the moment we can."

"Hey, there he is," Emily said.

"Great," I said. "Let's move." I didn't see much of Nico around camp, maybe because he had other duties or maybe because he purposefully tried to stay away from people. Really, it was like people thought he was a vampire (maybe that's where the designers of the Hades cabin got the idea) but he wasn't bad. He kind of reminded me of Veon for obvious reasons, except he was a little more anti-social. He was pale, with dark eyes and messy black hair. He wore a silver skull ring, a chain for a belt, a black T-shirt with skull designs, black jeans, an aviator jacket, and at his side hung a pure-black sword identical to Veon's. He was skinny and sloppy in his rumpled black clothes, his hair, as usual, looking like he'd just rolled out of bed. All in all, I liked him as a brother of Veon, and it wasn't as though Veon tried very hard to clean up either. If he was supposed to be the King of Souls and whatnot, shouldn't he have to look official when he's judging souls and sending them to heaven or hell?

"Ready to move?" Veon asked, and Nico nodded.

"I'll transport you to the Hades - I mean Pluto - shrine at Camp Jupiter. Not many people go there since one: he's one of the Great Three, and not many children, and two: I usually give that effect on people."

"Understandable."

"Well, it's not like people are afraid of Veon, right?" I asked.

"Not yet anyway. I am darkness; fear me."

"Oh, but the all mighty Ghost King and Soul King are still teenagers," Zy said. "Children of Hades and/or Pluto aren't really scary, Ve, so don't even try." He huffed and crossed his arms dramatically, turning his head away. "See what I mean?" Emily laughed.

"Great, now can we go to this Camp Jupiter?" I asked, eager to meet my half-brother.

"Right, right. Everyone hold hands. Except you, Nico, it's not a requirement." Nico wasn't really a guy who liked physical contact of any kind. Veon put his hand on Nico's shoulder, but maybe he allowed it just because Veon was his brother. Either way, I took Emily's hand, who took Zy's, who took Veon's.

"Hold on, it's gonna make you a bit dizzy," Veon warned. "You get used to it after a while, but your first time might not be fun."

"All right, all right, let's go!" I urged. He nodded and closed his eyes before we fell into the shadows. The world seemed to turn upside down, my insides were churning and my vision blacked out as I felt myself slipping through the shadows. There was a jolt and we were thrown into the ground, a little less nice of a landing than I would've expected based on Veon's previous shadow traveling demonstrations.

"Ugh, was that supposed to happen?" Emily asked, noticing the rough landing.

"No," Zy said. I turned and tried to gather my bearings and get the world to stop spinning, only to find Veon on the ground, writhing around like he couldn't breathe.

"Ve! Ve, what's wrong?!" He suddenly sat up, taking a deep breath. "Ve, you okay?" He looked around and nodded, still catching his breath.

"What was that?" Emily asked. "Maybe you shouldn't have taken so many people?"

"No…" Veon said. "No, that was why Nico was coming along to help me, and…I should've been able to handle that. I don't know what happened. There were these…visions. I…someone else's memories, their life…"

"One of us?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No…someone else. It looked like someone from the past, like what you'd see in the movies and such. It was…1930's I think. Italy…A casino…"

"There he is!" Zy shouted. She pointed to a hill where a teenage boy was looking around frantically, catching his breath. He had dark black hair, his clothes torn, burning, and splattered with…slime?

"That's Percy?" I asked, and she nodded. "How do we get up there?" I looked around. Percy was on a cliff, but the slope was too steep to both ascend and descend, plummeting a good eighty feet, straight into the roof of an apartment complex built into the hillside. Fifty feet below that, a highway emerged from the hill's base. I'd seen that highway before…We were in San Francisco! I looked right to see golden hills rolling inland, dotted with lakes, woods and few herds of cows. To the left, the flatlands of Berkley and Oakland marched west - a vast checkerboard of neighborhoods, with several million people that probably didn't want their morning interrupted by a bunch of demigods. Further west, San Francisco Bay glittered under a silvery haze. Past that, a wall of fog had swallowed most of San Francisco, leaving just the tops of skyscrapers and the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge. Annabeth had told me something about San Francisco in the many stories she'd told me. Maybe Percy would remember something if Annabeth was involved.

" _This_  is where the Roman camp is hidden?" Emily asked, also recognizing our location. "We passed this place in our last quest!" I saw Percy looking to the ocean just over the horizon. Water was good for a child of Poseidon, but the shore was at least two miles away. He'd have to cross the entire city.

"Everyone grab on!" Zy ordered. Veon, who seemed to have recovered from the shadow travel, wrapped his arms around her shoulders, while Zy grabbed my hand with her left and Emily's hand with her right. She jumped up the entire distance, and ended up landing us right next to Percy, who turned to us with a panicked look, pulling a pen out of his pocket and holding it out. It looked like a regular cheap ballpoint, but then Percy uncapped it, and it grew into a glowing bronze sword, the blade balanced perfectly, the leather grip fitting in his hand as though he'd had much use with it. Annabeth had told me about that. Etched along the guard was an Ancient Greek word: Anaklusmos - Riptide.

"Who are you? Are you with them?"

"The gorgons that are currently on your trail?" Zy asked. "No. But I suggest we move before they catch up."

"Who are you then?"

"I'm Audrey, I'm a daughter of Pos-Neptune."

"Emily, daughter of Venus."

"Zytaveon, call me Veon. Son of Pluto."

"Call me Zyanya," Said person introduced. "Why are you here? Where are you going?" He sighed in exasperation and dropped his sword, seeing we weren't hostile.

"I don't know!" He said, fed up as though he'd been asked the question a million times. "I don't know anything! One day, I wake up, maybe a couple months ago at the Wolf House. I found myself in the courtyard of a burned out mansion in the middle of the woods, wearing shorts, an orange T-shirt, and a leather necklace with a bunch of beads, with a sword in my hand! I don't know how I got there, and have only the vaguest idea of who I am! I was barefoot, freezing and confused, and then the  _wolves_  show up and Lupa teaching me all these things, Mist, water reviving me, vending machine gummy bears, that sea monster in the Carquinez Strait, and the Gorgons that can't seem to hurt me, cut me, bite me or whatever, but keep reviving after the bowling balls, the police car and the decapitating, and they can seem to smell the demigod on me no matter  _what_  I do!" He began breathing heavily as he rambled in anger (I was confused about half the things he was talking about), and it seemed he was pretty fed up with the past few months of running. He'd woken up in the Wolf House? Was that before we'd been there and Hera had been imprisoned? Percy had disappeared a couple month before we arrived at Camp Half-Blood, so I guess. Not to mention…why had we not been taken right to Camp Jupiter, and why wasn't Nico with us? I was just realizing that he wasn't here, he hadn't been since we'd emerged from the shadow travel.

"There you are!" Someone shouted, jolting me out of my thoughts. Percy stumbled back, and I grabbed him just before he fell off the edge of the hill. That must've been the gorgon Zy had mentioned was chasing Percy. She was wearing a green Bargain Mart employee vest over a flower-print dress, probably some kind of disguise to trick Percy that had failed, and a big green button that read:  _Welcome! My name is STHENO_. If you looked just at her body, you might think she was somebody's dumpy old grandmother, at least until you looked down and realized she had rooster feet. Or you could look up and see bronze boar tusks sticking out of the corners of her mouth, her glowing red eyes, and her writhing nest of bright green snakes that she had for hair. (Uh, should I be worried about the whole Medusa thing?) The weirdest thing about her, was that she was holding a big silver platter of free samples: Crispy Cheese 'n' Wieners. It looked to be dented from previous combat, but the little samples looked perfectly fine. Did Stheno keep toting them across California just to offer Percy a snack before she killed him?

"Oh, and you found some friends! Try one?" She offered, and I drew my sword and held it to keep her away.

"Yeah, no thanks," I said.

"Where's your sister?" Percy asked. Great, there was another one. Maybe we could deal with a monster willing to offer us free samples, but if this gorgon had a smarter sister, it was gonna be a repeat of Khione and her brothers all over again.

"Oh, put the swords away," Stheno chided. "You should know by now that no weapon can kill us for long, Celestial bronze or otherwise. Have a Cheese 'n' Wiener! They're on sale this week, and I'd hate to kill you on an empty stomach!"

"Stheno!" The second gorgon appeared to our right, and Emily had was instantly there to block her from us, but she seemed too busy glaring at her sister to pay any of us much attention. "I told you to sneak up on him and kill him! And who are these other people?! Did you allow him to call for backup?!" Stheno's smile wavered.

"But Euryale…" (Rhymes with Muriel) "Can't I give them a sample first?"

"No, you imbecile!" She turned towards us, zeroing in on Percy, and bared her fangs. Except for her hair, which had coral colored snakes instead of green, she looked identical to her sister. Her Bargain Mart vest, her flowery dress, even her tusks were decorated with 50% off stickers, and her name badge read:  _Hello! My name is DIE, DEMIGOD SCUM!_  Well, okay then.

"You've led us on quite a chase, Percy Jackson," Euryale said. "But now you're trapped, and even your little friends can't help you. We'll have our revenge!"

"The Cheese 'n' Wieners are only $2.99," Stheno added helpfully. "Grocery department, aisle three." Euryale snarled.

"Stheno, the Bargain Mart was a  _front!_  You're going native! Now, put down that ridiculous tray and help me kill these demigods. Or have you forgotten that  _he's_  the one who vaporized Medusa?"

"Look, ladies, we've been over this," Percy said. "I don't even  _remember_  killing Medusa. I don't remember anything!"

"Can't we just call a truce and talk about your weekly specials?" Emily asked, smiling. "Who cares for fighting? I'd much prefer learning about the Bargain Mart deals!" Stheno gave her sister a pouty look, which was hard to do with giant bronze tusks.

"Can we?"

"No! Do not be fooled by charm speak, Stheno!" She turned to Percy. "I don't care what you remember, son of the sea god. I can smell Medusa's blood on you. It's faint, yes, several years old, but  _you_  were the one to defeat her last. She  _still_  has not returned from Tartarus. It's your fault!" Percy looked confused, but he didn't seem in disbelief about the whole world of demigods, understandable after at least eight months of running.

"How about we call it a draw?" Percy suggested. "I can't kill you. You can't kill me. If you're Medusa's sisters - like  _the_  Medusa who turned people to stone - shouldn't I be petrified by now?"

"Heroes!" Euryale said with disgust. "They always bring that up, just like our mother! "Why can't you turn people to stone? Your  _sister_  can turn people to stone." Well sorry to disappoint you, boy! That was Medusa's curse alone.  _She_  was the most hideous one in the family. She got all the luck!" Stheno looked hurt.

"Mother said  _I_  was the most hideous."

"Quite! As for you, Percy Jackson, it's true you bear the mark of Achilles. That makes you a little tougher to kill. But don't worry. We'll find a way."

"The mark of what?"

"Achilles!" Stheno said cheerfully. "Oh, he was  _gorgeous!_  Dipped in the River Styx as a child, you know, so he was invulnerable except for a tiny spot on his ankle. That's what happened to you, dear. Someone must've dumped you in the Styx and made your skin like iron. But not to worry. Heroes like you always have a weak spot. We just have to find it, and then we can kill you. Won't that be lovely? Have a Cheese 'n' Wiener!" Dipped in the River Styx similar to Achilles? Yeah, I think Annabeth told me something about that. His weak spot was on his lower back, opposite of the navel, if I was remembering correctly. The mark of Achilles allowed him to fight the gods themselves, and he was having trouble with a couple gorgons? I guess he  _had_  lost his memory and didn't know the power he had, but still. Gods, this guy had been through a lot in his seventeen years of life.

"Emily, you're invincibility doesn't work like that, does it?" I asked.

"No, not to my knowledge anyway."

"I mean she doesn't have the strength of the mark of Achilles or the fighting style, but yes, she could fall down an eight foot cliff and survive if she wanted to," Zy said. An eighty foot cliff…like the one behind us? Nothing that ever came out of that girl/goddess's mouth wasn't important, I'd learned that after these few months of training with her. We needed to get to the Roman camp, Camp Jupiter, and we had initially planned our shadow trip to have brought us there. We couldn't be that far off, could we? Was she saying that our goal was at the bottom of the hill? The highway…Jason had pointed out the highway when we'd been here before! The tunnel below us! We needed to get down there! That  _had_  to be the entrance to the camp. We needed to get Percy there, first priority.

"Reconsidering?" Stheno asked, and I realized Percy was staring at her large silver platter of free samples. Oh, he was not thinking of… "Very wise, dear. I added some gorgon's blood to these, so your death will be quick and painless."

"You added your blood to the Cheese 'n' Wieners?" Percy asked.

"Just a little. A tiny nick on my arm, but you're sweet to be concerned. Blood from our right side can cure anything, you know, but blood from our left side is deadly-"

"You dimwit!" Euryale screeched. "You're not supposed to tell them that! They won't eat the wieners if you tell them they're poisoned!" Stheno looked stunned.

"They won't? But I said it would be quick and painless."

"Nevermind!" Euryale's fingernails grew into claws. "We'll kill them the hard way. Just keep slashing until we find a weak spot. Once we defeat Percy Jackson, we'll be more famous than Medusa! Our patron will reward us greatly!"

"Before you slash me to bits, who's this patron of yours?" Percy asked, eying the platter again.

"The goddess Gaea of course! The one who brought us back from oblivion! You won't live long enough to meet her, but your friends below will soon face her wrath." I wasn't surprised at this point that Gaea, their "patron," was responsible for their going after Percy. "Even now, her armies are marching south. At the Feast of Fortune, she'll awaken, and the demigods will be cut down like…like-"

"Like our low prices at Bargain Mart!" Stheno suggested.

"Gah!" Euryale stormed towards her sister, and Percy took the opening, grabbing Stheno's platter, scattering poisoned Cheese 'n' Wieners. I swung my sword and slashed across Euryale's waist, cutting her in half. Percy raised the platter and Stheno found herself facing her own greasy reflection.

"Medusa!" She screamed. Euryale had crumbled to dust, but she was already starting to reform, like a snowman un-melting.

"Stheno, you fool!" She gurgled as her half-made face rose from the mount of dust. "That's just your own reflection! Get them!" Veon summoned and slammed his shield on top of Stheno's head and she passed out cold. Percy took the opportunity to jump off the side of the hill, slipping the platter under him like a sled.

"Oh great," I muttered. I popped open my water bottle and summoned a large amount of water, much more than the small bottle should've been capable of, but I'd had it charmed similar to Leo's tool belt by the Hecate cabin to be able to hold far more water than it would seem. It's bigger on the inside. I changed the water to be the shape of a surfboard and then froze it to ice before jumping on, Emily grabbing on behind me as we jumped down after Percy. Zy and Veon jumped down on their own, sliding down on their own feet, Veon summoning his lance to help keep his balance, control where he went, and save himself if he suddenly hit the dirt at the wrong angle at high speeds and went flying.

Ahead of us, Percy narrowly missed a tree, glanced off a boulder, and spun a three sixty as he shot towards the highway. Yeah, a snack platter did  _not_  have great steering. I controlled my surf board's trajectory and followed him, avoiding the obstacles with ease, Zy and Veon doing the same as we surfed down the hill. I heard the gorgon sisters screaming behind us, and caught a glimpse of Euryale's coral-snake hair at the top of the hill. I willed our ice surf board to speed up as Percy approached the roof of the apartment building looming below like the prow of a battle ship.

"Emily, go!" I ordered, and she jumped up, diving forward. I summoned more water from my water bottle and used it to thrust Emily forward like I was throwing a baseball, and she managed to grab onto Percy, twisting her body weight to swivel sideways and avoid breaking Percy's legs on impact. The snack platter skittered across the roof and sailed through the air, the platter going one way, the two of them going the other. For one moment I imagined them smashing against a windshield, some annoyed commuter trying to push him off with the wipers.  _Stupid sixteen-year-old kids falling from the sky! I'm late for work!_  Zy waved her hand and a breeze blew them to the side - allowing them to miss the highway. Emily twisted them in the air so that she hit the ground first and took the fall, doing what she always did and protecting people even if Percy's mark of Achilles most likely would've protected him. Veon, Zy and I slid down to join them smoothly, me unfreezing my surf board and sheathing the water without even breaking stride.

"You both okay?" I asked.

"Fine," Emily said, standing.

Back up the hill, the gorgons were picking their way down the slope, their hair and Bargain Mart vests hard to miss. They were coming down slower than the rest of us, but with a lot more control than Percy had had. Guess the chicken feet were good for climbing. We had maybe five minutes at most. Zy drew her guns from the back of her belt that she kept there and began firing, buying us a little more time, but monsters these days had been reviving faster than ever, even with her reform-resisting bullets.

Next to us, a tall chain-link fence separated the highway from a neighborhood of winding streets, cozy houses, and tall eucalyptus trees. The fence was probably there to keep people from getting onto the highway and doing stupid things - like sledding into the fast lane on snack trays, perhaps - but the chain link was full of big holes, and we could easily slip through to the neighborhood and take a car if we needed to.

"Over there!" Zy pointed east. A hundred yards uphill the highway cut through the base of the cliff. Two tunnel entrances, one for each direction of traffic, stared down at us like the eye sockets of a giant skull. In the middle, where the nose would have been, a cement wall jutted from the hillside, with a metal door like the entrance to a bunker. It might've looked like a maintenance tunnel to any mortal, but they couldn't see through the mist, and that was definitely our destination.

Two kids in armor flanked the entrance. They were a bizarre mix of plumed Roman helmets, breastplates, scabbards, blue jeans, purple T-shirts, and white athletic shoes. The guard on the right looked like a girl, though it was hard to tell for sure with all the armor, and the one on the left was a stocky guy with a bow and quiver on his back. Both of them held long wooden staffs with iron spear tips, like old fashioned harpoons. If that wasn't an indication that this was the entrance to a war-like demigod camp, then nothing was. Granted, even though that's where I knew I needed to go, there was something within me that told me that wasn't a good idea. Must be the Roman fighting the Greek in me.

"You're right, of course," A voice said and we all jumped, except Zy who had her eyes trained on the gorgons, firing and distracting them for as long as she could. I looked around for the voice and saw an old lady sitting in the bushes. She looked like a hippie who'd been kicked to the side of the road maybe forty years ago, where she'd been collecting trash and rags ever since, but there was some familiar aura I was getting from her. She wore a dress made of tie-dyed cloth, ripped-up quilts, and plastic grocery bags. Her frizzy mop of hair was gray-brown, like root-beer foam, tied back with a peace-sign headband. Warts and moles covered her face, and when she smiled, she showed exactly three teeth.

"It isn't a maintenance tunnel," She confided. "It's the entrance to the camp." Any more confirmation needed, there it is. Percy looked to it with a kind of recognition, but also hesitance. It was a camp, all right, but it wasn't  _his_  camp. "Not much time, child. You need to make your choice."

"Who are you?" Percy asked.

"Oh, you can call me June." The old lady's eyes sparkled as if she'd made an excellent joke. June…June…I swear that doesn't sound right. Similar, but just…not right. "It  _is_  June, isn't it? They named a month after me!"

"Okay…Look, we should go. Two gorgons are coming. I don't want them to hurt you." June clasped her hands over her heart.

"How sweet! But that's part of your choice!"

"My choice…" He muttered. I looked to see the gorgons removing their vests to have wings sprout from their backs, small bat wings which glinted like brass. I don't remember them having wings. They looked too small to get a gorgon into the air, but the two sisters leaped off the apartment building and soared towards us. Zy shot them in the wings a couple times, slowing their flight as they wobbled in the air, but their wings were repairing themselves only moments after she shot them, and though she forced their descent to slow, they were still making for us fast.

"We're running out of time here," Veon said.

"You could leave me here at the mercy of the gorgons and go to the ocean, Percy Jackson," June said, as if she were in no hurry. "You'd make it there safely, I guarantee. The gorgons will be quite happy to attack me and let you go. In the sea, no monster would bother you. You could begin a new life, live to a ripe old age, and escape a great deal of pain and misery that is in your future."

"Or?" Percy asked.

"Or you could do a good deed for an old lady, and carry me to camp with you."

"Carry you?" She hiked up her skirts and showed him her swollen purple feet.

"I can't get there by myself. Carry me to camp - across the highway, through the tunnel, across the river." The gorgons were only fifty feet away now, Veon flying forward with his lance to attack them while Zy gave his support fire. That would hold them for a little longer.

"And I'd carry you to this camp because…?"

"Because it's kindness! And if you don't, the gods will die, the world we know will perish, and everyone from your old life will be destroyed. Of course, you wouldn't remember them, so I suppose it won't matter. You'd be safe at the bottom of the sea…" The gorgons shrieked with laughter as Veon was forced on the defensive and Emily ran over to help.

"If I go to the camp, will I get my memory back?"

"Eventually. But be warned, you will sacrifice much! You'll lose the mark of Achilles. You'll feel pain, misery and loss beyond anything you've ever known. But you might have a chance to save your old friends and family, to reclaim your old life." The gorgons flew up, Veon following but forcing Emily to have to retreat since she couldn't reach them in the sky.

"What about those guards at the door?" June smiled.

"Oh, they'll let you in, dear. You can trust those two. So, what do you say? Will you help a defenseless old woman?" I highly doubted she was defenseless with all she was talking about. June, June, June…What about that name was  _so_  familiar yet sounded just a bit off? Percy looked to the gorgons, but he was in deep thought. There was a longing in his face, and I assumed he was desperate to remember what he'd lost. I'd seen that face on Jason enough times, but there was something else too. It wasn't he was just desperate to remember his past and who he was, but there was one specific detail that was killing him inside since he didn't remember.

"I'll carry you," He finally said and scooped up the old woman.

"Veon! Retreat!" Zy called and we all ran after Percy who made it across the first lane of traffic. A driver honked, and another yelled something that was lost in the wind. Most just swerved and looked irritated, as if they had to deal with a lot of ratty teenagers carrying old hippie women across the freeway here in Berkley. A shadow fell over us and I looked up to see Stheno.

"Clever boy! Found a goddess to carry, did you?" I opened my water bottle and shot a stream of water at her with the force of a fire hose and she went flying, knocked away though not out of the sky.

"Get them!" Euryale screamed somewhere to our left. "The more prizes the better!"

"Go, Percy!" I shouted. Emily and Zy ran ahead of him, stopping the cars with their bare hands while Veon and I tried to hold off the gorgons, who were swooping down, cars swerving as they passed overhead. I wonder what the mortals saw through the Mist, giant pelicans? Off-course hang gliders? Not to mention Zy and Emily's abilities to hold their ground and bring the cars to a stop without injury and Veon and I, waving a large snake of water in the air and fighting with a lance against the two monsters chasing after us. While Veon was having a moving duel with Euryale, Stheno swooped and dived for me, so I unsheathed the shield I had on my left arm and blocked her, sliding back in the process. When I came to a stop, I reared my arm back and bashed her as hard as I could with the shield. I then turned and hurried after Percy once more, knowing that the thing wouldn't stay down forever. If Veon had hit her with his shield and she didn't stay down for more than a minute, what chance did I have that she'd stay down for more than ten seconds at the most? Veon was definitely stronger than me, not just because of his job in the Underworld increasing his powers, but because he was a male and physically built for strength rather than flexibility.

Percy was approaching the hillside, but he seemed to be slowing down. Whatever it was that was gonna take away his mark of Achilles must've been taking affect even though he hadn't passed through the door yet, his strength leaving him. The guard with the bow knocked an arrow, and I momentarily panicked as he aimed at me.

"Audrey, look out!" Veon called and I instantly ducked. The guard's arrow flew above my head, but it didn't go anywhere near where my head had been, flying past before I heard one of the gorgons shriek in pain. Veon pulled me to my feet and we ran forward again, joining the others.

"Gotcha!" Euryale shrieked, but Veon reared back and swung his lance like a bat as hard as he could, whacking her in the forehead. She went tumbling down into the fast lane, a truck slamming into her and carrying her backward a hundred yards, but she merely climbed over the cab and launched back in the air.

"Damn, this is getting annoying!" Veon announced. The archer took another shot at her, and though the reared back in the air, she managed to regain her balance and pulled the arrow out, flying at us once more.

"Thanks," Percy said as we reached the door. "Nice shot."

"That should've killed her!" The archer protested.

"Welcome to our world," Zy said.

"Frank," The girl said. "Get them inside, quick! Those are gorgons."

"Gorgons?" Frank squeaked. It was hard to tell much about him under the helmet, but he looked stout like a wrestler, maybe fourteen or fifteen. "Will the door hold them?" June cackled in Percy's arms.

"No, no it won't," She said. "Onward, Percy Jackson! Through the tunnel, over the river!"

"Percy Jackson?" The female guard was darker-skinned, with curly hair sticking out the sides of her helmet. She looked younger than Frank, maybe thirteen. Her sword scabbard came down almost to her ankle. Still, she sounded like she was the one in charge. Go female warriors. "Okay, you're obviously demigods, but who's the-?" She glanced at June. "Nevermind. Just get inside. I'll hold them off."

"Hazel, don't be crazy," Frank said.

"Go!" She demanded.

"Well, don't think she's doing it alone," Veon said.

"Get him in there, go!" Zy ordered. Frank cursed (in Latin I think, if Jason had taught me any Latin during his time in camp with Veon's translations…) and opened the door.

"Come on!" Percy staggered in, but clearly whatever was happening to him was hitting him harder as June seemed to be becoming heavier. The tunnel cut through solid rock, about the width and height of a school hallway. At first, it looked like a typical maintenance tunnel, with electric cables, warning signs, and fuse boxes on the walls, light bulbs in wire cages along the ceiling. As we ran deeper into the hillside, the cement floor changed to tiled mosaic, the lights changed to reed torches, which burned but didn't smoke, and a few hundred yards ahead, I saw a square of daylight.

June was singing a Latin lullaby as if nothing was wrong, while Percy seemed to be barely able to hold her weight at this point. Behind us, the gorgons' voices echoed in the tunnel. Gunshots rang out, before there were three battle cries, one from Veon, one from Zy and one from Hazel. I was tempted to run back and help, but then the entire tunnel shook with the rumble of falling stone and there was a squawking sound that seemed to be from the gorgons. Yeah, they'd be fine. I looked back and saw the west end of the tunnel was now filled with dust. Had Veon learned some more earth-y things back in the Underworld? I mean, I guess he  _had_  told me about his dad being a god of the riches of the earth, and death was commonly associated with the ground as compared to the air from Zeus and the sea from Poseidon. It made the Great Three even in a way, so it made sense.

"Shouldn't we check on them?" Percy asked.

"They'll be okay, I think," Frank said. "Hazel's good underground.

"Funny, so is Veon," I said.

"Just keep moving, we're almost there!"

"Almost where?"

"To the camp, I assume," Emily said.

"All roads lead there, child," June said. "You should know that."

"Detention?" Percy guessed and I would've laughed if I wasn't using all my breath to run.

"Rome, child. Rome." Well, I'm pretty sure Rome wasn't in the middle of California, but at this point, I wouldn't be surprised by being told it was, so we continued running. The glow at the end of the tunnel grew brighter, and finally we burst into the sunlight.

Spread out at our feet was a bowl-shaped valley several miles wide. The basin floor was rumpled with smaller hills, golden plains, and stretches of forest. A small clear river cut a winding course from a lake in the center and around the perimeter, like a capital G. The geography could've been anywhere in northern California - live oaks and eucalyptus trees, gold hills and blue skies. The mountain that I remember, Mount Diablo, was right where it should be, helping me get a better perspective on our location, but it made me wonder how I didn't see this place before when we were up there. Granted, it  _had_  been hidden on purpose, of course.

In the center of the valley, nestled by the lake, was a small city of white marble buildings with red-tiled roofs. Some had domes and columned porticoes, like national monuments, while others looked like palaces, with golden doors and large gardens. I could see an open plaza with freestanding columns, fountains, and statues, and a five-story-tall Roman coliseum that gleamed in the sun, next to a long oval arena like a racetrack. Across the lake to the south, another hill was dotted with even more impressive buildings - temples, I guessed. Oh, wait, we were supposed to arrive at the temple to Pluto. Maybe Nico had made it there without us and that's why we were separated. I made a mental note to go and see if I could.

Several stone bridges crossed the river as it wound through the valley, and in the north, a long line of brickwork arches stretched from the hills into the town. Kinda looked like an elevated track, but I guessed it must've been an aqueduct. The strangest part of the valley was about two hundred yards away, just across the river. It was some kind of military encampment about a quarter mile square, with earthen ramparts on all four sides, the tops lined with sharpened spikes. Outside the walls ran a dry moat, also studded with spikes. Wooden watch towers rose at each corner, manned by sentries with oversized, mounted crossbows. Purple banners hung from the towers and a wide gateway opened on the far side of camp, leading toward the city. A narrower gate stood closed on the riverbank side, and inside, the fortress bustled with activity: dozens of kids going to and from the barracks, carrying weapons, polishing armor. I even heard the clank of hammers at the forge and smelled meat cooking over a fire.

So this is what Zy meant when she said this camp was more war-like and strict. This was only half a camp and half a military base for demigods, and it looked a lot less friendly then Camp Half-Blood looked at first sight. Maybe once I was settled in and not wanted as a "graecus" (what Zy told me the Romans called Greeks as an insult) then maybe it would seem like a tight-knit group where you could rely on your allies and friends even in the heat of battle, but right now I realized just what we were getting ourselves into. I wished Jason was here with us so he could explain things and get the rest of us in with the Romans trusting us, but right now we'd have to hope Zy was enough authority to the Romans.

"Camp Jupiter," Frank said. "We'll be safe once-" Footsteps echoed in the tunnel behind us, and then Hazel, Veon and Zy burst out, covered in stone dust and the first two breathing hard. Hazel had lost her helmet so her curly brown hair fell around her shoulders, and Veon looked paler than before, caked in sweat. All of their clothes had been slashed from the claws of the gorgons, but otherwise, they looked like they were still in one piece. One of the monsters had even tagged Hazel with a 50% off sticker.

"We slowed them down, but-" Hazel began before there was a loud metal chink like chains breaking and a roar of the two gorgons before Veon fell to his knees, his lance falling out of his hand and turning to a shadow before disappearing.

"Dang it…" He said between his heavy breaths. "My chains…usually don't…break that easily…"

"You're not used to using your powers here," Zy explained. "You're not as strong as you were back in your home court." Frank cursed.

"We have to get across the river," He said. June squeezed Percy's neck tighter.

"Oh, yes, please. I can't get my dress wet." Emily and Zy each took one of Veon's arms around their shoulders, and Zy began lightly singing a hymn as we ran to help Veon gain some energy back. Percy stumbled under June's weight a couple times, but Hazel and I kept him on his feet. When we reached the riverbank, Percy stopped to catch his breath, and it looked like Veon was doing good too. His color had returned, and he wasn't breathing as hard, so Emily and Zy let his stand on his own.

"Go, Hazel," Frank said, nocking two arrows at once. "Escort them so they don't get shot by the sentries. It's my turn to hold off the baddies."

"Me too," Emily said, drawing her dagger. Hazel nodded and waded into the stream. The current was fast, but I sensed the river wasn't deep. It was only a stone's throw across to the gates of the fort, and the water was where I was comfortable. Yet there was still something that made me hesitate.

"The Little Tiber," June said sympathetically. "It flows with the power of the original Tiber, river of the empire. This is your last chance to back out, child. The mark of Achilles is a Greek blessing. You can't retain it if you cross into Roman territory. The Tiber will wash it away."

"If I cross, I won't have iron skin anymore?" Another reason to wish that the Greeks and Romans could just get along or something. Seriously? Percy had to lose his cool invincibility, strength, speed and fighting prowess? They were probably the only thing that kept him alive all these months on his own, and if Zy was correct (and I learned not to doubt her a long time ago) then Percy had to go on a quest to prove his worth to the Romans.

"So what will it be, child? Safety, or a future of pain and possibility?" Behind us, the gorgons screeched as they flew from the tunnel. Frank let his arrows fly, and Emily ran up to slice with her dagger. She wasn't an expert fighter, but she knew how to swing a weapon as well as the next demigod, and the closer she was to her target, the more control she could have over their emotions as well, whether she was trying to get them to stand down, whether she was turning them against each other, or whether she was shutting them down completely (something that still bothered her after Medea's department store, but she declared that she was going to do whatever it took to protect her friends, even if that meant going beyond her comfort zone. We told her she didn't have to do that for us, but she's a determined friend, and so caring. Still, we made her promise to use it as a last resort if it made her uncomfortable).

"Hey! Come on!" Hazel called from the middle of the river.

"It's your choice, Percy," I said. Up on the watchtowers, horns blew in warning, and sentries shouted, swiveling their crossbows toward the gorgons. Percy suddenly tensed as though he remembered something and then forged into the river. I breathed and stepped in as well. It was ice cold and a little swifter than I'd anticipated, but I compensated and continued without it bothering me. I felt the rush of energy being in the water provided, like I'd been injected with caffeine. We reached the other side of the river at the same time as Hazel, even though she had a head start on us, and Percy put June down as the camp's gates opened, dozens of kids in armor pouring out. Hazel turned with a relieved smile, then she looked past us and her expression changed to horror.

"Frank!" Said person and Emily were halfway across the river when the gorgons caught each of them. They swooped out of the sky and grabbed each of them by the arms, their claws digging into the two of them.

"Emily!" Veon called. Emily struggled, but her knife was sheathed on her belt and she couldn't reach it with her arms restrained.

"Let me go!" She demanded, though the sweetness in her voice was wearing off, and without that, her charm speak didn't work, contrary to Piper's who worked in all states of mind. The sentries yelled, but I knew they couldn't get a clear shot without hitting Frank and Emily, and even if Emily could survive, Frank couldn't. The other kids drew swords and got ready to charge into the water, but by then it'd be too late.

"Percy, can you control the water?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Then follow my lead!" I thrust my hands out and Percy mimicked me, seeming to know what he was doing despite his memory loss. At least the eight months of survival were enough to teach him that, compared to Jason who we'd met only a few hours after he'd woken without his memories. I felt that powerful tug and the water obeyed my commands, but I also felt Percy's will tugging the water as well. Making sure we avoided fighting against each other for water, we worked in sync as the Tiber obeyed our will and the river surged. Whirlpools formed on either side of Frank and Emily, giant watery hands erupting from the stream, one copying my hand and one copying Percy's. Suddenly black chains surged out of the ground around the Tiber, and I saw Veon holding his hands out with his eyes closed in concentration. They wrapped around the gorgons and then he pulled his hands into fists as the chains tightened a hold on them.

The giant hands of water grabbed the gorgons, pulling them away from Emily and Frank as they panicked and struggled against Veon's chains. Percy and I turned to each other and then reared back to punch, but we purposefully swung well past each other, not aiming to hit each other in the first place. Our giant water fists mimicked our actions, except they actually smashed into each other with the same force Percy and I had put into our fake attacks. I felt the gorgons within our fist being smashed with the force of our attacks maximized to the scaled up power of our creations. The two gorgons were turned to dust, the chains around them squeezing tighter as they disappeared and then shattering. The fists fell into the Tiber, glittering clouds of gorgon essence trying to re-form, but failing as the river pulled them apart like a blender.

I waved my hands and the water of the Tiber grabbed Frank and Emily, pulling them out and dropping them on shore completely dry. Percy's clothes and skin steamed as though the Tiber's waters had given him an acid bath. It must've been the result of his invincible skin burning away, leaving him raw and vulnerable. Hazel went to Frank while Veon and Zy went to Emily, checking to see if they were okay.

"You're good," I commented.

"Thanks," Percy said. Only then did I realize how quiet the other kids had become. Everyone was starting back and forth between me and Percy. Only the old lady June looked unfazed.

"What? No love for the chains that sent them to Tartarus?" Veon asked. Emily hugged him.

"Aw, thanks for saving me, Ve." He rolled his eyes but patted her hand like "thanks."

"Well, that was a lovely trip," June said. "Thank you, Percy Jackson, for bringing me to Camp Jupiter. And I suppose your team did well in assisting, Zyanya."

"Just doing my job," Zy said.

"Percy…Jackson…?" One of the girls asked, almost choking on her words. Did she recognize his name? I looked to her, and saw a woman that looked to be in charge. She wore a regal purple cloak over her armor, her chest decorated with medals. She must have been around our age, with dark, piercing eyes and long black hair. Percy's expression showed that he didn't know who she was, but she looked to him like she'd seen him in a nightmare. June laughed with delight.

"Oh, yes. You'll have such fun together!" Then, just because today hadn't been weird enough already, the old lady began to glow and change form. She grew until she was a shining, seven-foot-tall goddess in a blue dress, with a cloak that looked like goat's skin over her shoulders. Her face was stern and steady, her hand holding a staff topped with a lotus flower. I knew it! I knew there was something familiar about her name! I knew that I sensed something the moment I'd seen her. If it was possible for the campers to look more stunned, they did. The girl with the purple cloak knelt, the others following her lead. One kid got down so hastily he almost impaled himself on his sword. Veon bowed, though he didn't fall to his knees, Emily and I doing the same. Only Zy stayed standing straight, crossing her arms like she was tired of people always bowing to someone else and not her, while Percy looked around confused.

"Juno," Hazel said. She and Frank also fell to their knees, leaving Percy and our group the only ones standing, and Percy the only one not knowing what was going on. He looked a little ticked with her as well, having carried her all this way.

"Juno, huh?" He said. "If I passed your test, can I have my memory and my life back?" The goddess smiled.

"In time, Percy Jackson, if you succeed here at camp. You've done well today, which is a good start. Perhaps there's hope for you yet." She turned to the other kids. "Romans, I present you the son of Neptune. For months he has been slumbering, but now he is awake. His fate is in your hands. The Feast of Fortuna comes quickly, and Death must be unleashed if you are to stand any hope in the battle. I leave the rest to Zyanya. She shall oversee this journey. Do not fail me!" Juno shimmered and disappeared.

"Well then," Zy said.

"Oh, that's right…" Veon muttered. Everyone looked around confused. I saw Frank slip two small clay flask with cork stoppers, like potions, one in each hand, into his pockets. He gave a "we'll talk about this later" look. The girl in the purple cloak stepped forward, examining Percy warily, looking to me, then Emily, Veon, Zyanya, and then back to Percy, looking like she wanted to run him through with her dagger.

"So," She said coldly. "A son of Neptune, who comes to us with the blessing of Juno. As well as Zyanya, it seems." Zy gave a mock salute, her face deadpan.

"Look, my memory's a little fuzzy," Percy said. "Um, it's  _gone_  actually. Do I know you?" She hesitated.

"I am Reyna, praetor of the Twelfth Legion. And…no, I don't know you." It didn't take a genius to figure out the last part was a lie, but I knew that if we mentioned it here in front of her soldiers that she'd be  _very_ unhappy. I'd been wanting to go to Camp Jupiter for a while now, but only now did I realize the extent of the danger coming here was. "Hazel, bring them inside. I want to question them at the  _principia_. Then we'll send them to Octavian. We must consult the auguries before we decide what to do with them."

"What do you mean, decide what to do with us?" I asked. Reyna's hand tightened on her dagger. Obviously she wasn't used to having her orders questioned, but right now, I didn't give a flying duck. Maybe we should be trying to make friends, but we had the right to question what was going on.

"Before we accept anyone into camp, we must interrogate them and read the auguries. Juno said your fate is in our hands. We have to know whether the goddess has brought us a new recruit…" She studied Percy as if she found that doubtful. "Or," She said more hopefully. "If she's brought us a few more enemies to kill."


	4. Reyna

First Person: Zytaveon

Being threatened that I might be killed and walking into a camp with an army of skilled, armed and slightly aggravated, possibly hostile kids? Why did I feel as though I should be a little more scared than I was? Half the people in the camp were ghosts. Shimmering purple warriors stood outside the armory, polishing ethereal swords while others hung out in front of the barracks. A ghostly boy chased a ghostly dog down the street, and at the stables, a big glowing red dude with the head of a wolf guarded a herd of…unicorns? Either way, the large number of undead made me feel a bit better after I'd realized that being in the Overworld drained me dramatically. Everything in the Underworld connected with me, gave me strength, but it was like going from air to water, every power slowed and resisted, the world itself against me once more. My chains shouldn't have broken against the gorgons so easily. They were meant to be dead, therefore the chains were able to hold them, but they refused to be taken to Tartarus, at least until Audrey and Percy managed to keep their bodies from reforming and allowing me to sweep their souls away. But even that was temporary at this point.

Hades had told me that I had two goals: one, save Hera. Check. Two, check on Thanatos. Things were getting worse when it came to death, and now the monsters could barely be contained. How long would it be before even mortals could just turn around and refuse being judged back in the Underworld? Not only would I lose my job, for one, but Hades  _and_  Thanatos would be very displeased with humans just popping back to life and escaping their grasp when their time came. Monsters were bad enough, but humans? Scary. We needed to go and find Thanatos  _now_. Maybe that was Percy's quest, as Jason's required freeing Hera, the first of my two tasks. Wouldn't be a surprise at this point.

None of the campers paid much attention to the ghosts, which once again reminded me of the Underworld (seriously, in the Overworld, people freaked when they saw the undead) but as our entourage walked by, with Reyna and Zy in the lead, talking quietly, and Frank and Hazel on either side of the four of us, all the spirits stopped what they were doing and started, seemingly focusing their attention on Percy. The little boy ghost shrieked "graecus!" and then turned invisible. That obvious, huh?

"Am I seeing things?" Percy asked. "Or are those-?"

"Ghosts?" I finished. "Yes, yes they are."

"They're Lares," Hazel said. "House gods."

"House gods," Percy repeated. "Like…smaller than real gods, but larger than apartment gods?"

"I think I can see where Audrey gets her sense of humor," I muttered.

"They're ancestral spirits," Franks explained. He'd removed his helmet, revealing a babyish face that didn't go with his military haircut or his big burly frame. He looked like a toddler who'd taken steroids and joined the Marines. I guess this place was close enough, anyway, and I really shouldn't judge, but there weren't many ways to describe him. He looked Asian, but it really wasn't clear.

"The Lares are kind of like mascots," He continued. "They're mostly harmless, but I've never seen then so agitated."

"They're staring at me," Percy said. "That ghost kid called me Greggus. My name isn't Greg."

"I think he said graecus," I said. "Graecus means Greek in Latin."

"Once you've been here a while, you'll start understanding Latin," Hazel explained. "Demigods have a natural sense for it."

"Does Greek mean something bad?" Percy asked. Frank cleared his throat.

"Maybe not. You've got that type of complexion, the dark hair and all. Maybe they think you're actually Greek. Is your family from there?"

"Don't know. Like I said, my memory is gone."

"Em, Audrey and I have grown up with adoptive parents before we ran away, so there's really no way of knowing at the moment," I said, purposefully leaving Zy out just in case. I'd been drilled on our background story, that was bending the truth but not breaking it, as Emily had a step-mother, so not her real mom even if she did grow up with her dad, and Audrey and I both had completely adoptive parents from a young age. Now we'd left them behind, so that wasn't a lie either, even if we technically could go and visit whenever we wanted. Our cover story for being gone was apparently that the four of us had gone to New York for the rest of our junior year and senior years of high school so that we could get into college there. The cover story wouldn't last forever, but it lasted for now, though I never planned to go to regular old school again, no matter how dangerous the demigod lifestyle was.

"Maybe…" Frank hesitated.

"What?" Emily asked.

"Probably nothing. Romans and Greeks have an old rivalry. Sometimes Romans use graecus as an insult for someone who's an outsider - an enemy. I wouldn't worry about it." Yeah, he sounded pretty worried about it. We stopped at the center of camp, where two wide stone-paved roads met at a T. A street sign labeled the road to the main gates as  **VIA PRAETORIA**. The other road, cutting across the middle of camp was labeled  **VIA PRINCIPALIS**. Under those markers were hand-painted signs like  **BERKELEY 5 MILES; NEW ROME 1 MILE; OLD ROME 7280 MILES; HADES 2310 MILES**  (the sign pointing straight down, which made me smile, but also question why the sign said Hades instead of Pluto since we were in the Roman camp);  **RENO 208 MILES**  and  **CERTAIN DEATH: YOU ARE HERE!**  For certain death, the place looked pretty clean and orderly, I must say.

The buildings were freshly whitewashed, laid out in neat grids like the camp had been designed by a fussy math teacher. The barracks had shady porches, where campers lounged in hammocks or played cards and drank sodas. Each dorm had a different collection of banners out front displaying Roman numerals and various animals - eagle, bear, wolf, horse, and something that looked like a hamster. Along the Via Praetoria, rows of shops advertised food, armor, weapons, coffee, gladiator equipment, and toga rentals. A chariot dealership had a big advertisement out front:  **CAESAR XLS W/ANTILOCK BRAKES, NO DENARII DOWN!**  At one corner of the crossroads stood the most impressive building - a two-story wedge of white marble with a columned portico like and old-fashioned bank. Roman guards stood out front, and over the doorway hung a big purple banner with the letters SPQR embroidered inside a laurel wreath.

"Your headquarters?" Percy asked.

"It's called the principia," Reyna said turning to him, her eyes still cold and hostile. I wasn't really intimidated by her, as I was on equal grounds with her with the power and position my father had given me, but I definitely had respect for her. This  _was_  her camp after all, so I knew to keep from ticking her off. Out of respect, not fear. Reyna looked to the mob of curious campers who had followed us from the river.

"Everyone, back to your duties," Zy ordered. "You will be given an update at evening muster. I hear there are war games after dinner." The crowd reluctantly dispersed, and clearly Zy had told the truth when she said she had a reputation here.

"They're dead," One person muttered.

"Would be  _those_  two who found them," Said another.

"Yeah," A third agreed. "Let them join the Fifth Cohort. Greeks and geeks." Several kids laughed at that, but Reyna and Zy scowled and they quickly cleared off. I was tempted to summon skeletons to scare them, but I'd learned not to lose control just because of people's words ever since Drew.

"Hazel," Reyna said. "Come with us. I want your report on what happened at the gates."

"Me too?" Frank asked. "They saved my life. We've got to let them-" Reyna gave Frank such a harsh look, he stepped back, and Emily moved in front of him slightly on instinct. Always the protector.

"Need I remind you, Frank Zhang, you are on  _probatio_  yourself. You've caused enough trouble this week." Frank's ears turned red and he fiddled with a little tablet on a cord around his neck that looked to be made out of lead. Now I was curious about what had happened. "Go to the armory. Check out our inventory, and I'll call if I need you."

"But-" He caught himself. "Yes, Reyna." He hurried off. Reyna waved us toward the headquarters.

"Now, first things first, Percy Jackson, let's see if we can improve your memory."

We headed to the principia, which was even more impressive inside. On the ceiling glittered a mosaic of Romulus and Remus under their adopted mama she-wolf. I'd met Lupa once or twice during these last six months, but not too often, and she mentioned that story many times. The floor was polished marble, the walls draped in velvet, so it was like we were inside the world's largest and most expensive camping tent. Along the back wall stood a display of banners and wooden poles studded with bronze medals - military symbols, I guessed. In the center was one empty display stand, as if the main banner had been taken down for cleaning or something. In the back corner, a stairwell led down, blocked by a row of iron bars like a prison door. What could they possibly have down there? I was curious. Monsters? Treasure? Amnesiac demigods who had gotten on Reyna's bad side? In the center of the room, a long wooden table was cluttered with scrolls, notebooks, tablet computers, daggers, and a large bowl filled with jelly beans, which seemed a little out of place. Two life-sized statues of greyhounds - one silver, one gold - flanked the table.

"Hey, is that Argentum and Aurum?" I asked. The dogs barked in recognition.

"Silver and Gold," Percy translated, and I assumed the Latin words really were translating in his head like Hazel had said they would. I was told that Greeks commonly had dyslexia because their minds were hard-wired for Ancient Greek, and I figured that Romans were the same but hard-wired for Latin and Percy wouldn't actually be able to translate. Huh. The more you know. Reyna walked behind the table and sat in one of two high-backed chairs. Zy looked to Reyna, who nodded, before she moved to sit in the other one, leaving the rest of us to stand.

"So…" Percy began, but then Argentum and Aurum bared their teeth and growled. After going to the Underworld, I'd learned a lot, along with Argentum and Aurum, who glared with ruby eyes, their fangs sharp as razors as they signaled they were not to be messed with. Personally, once you realized what a sweetheart Cerberus was when you got on his good side, no dog scared you anymore.

" _Build it up with silver and gold, silver and gold, silver and gold,_ " Zy sung in Japanese. " _Build it up with silver and gold, my fair lady._ " The dogs took that as a signal to stand down, though they still eyed Percy as though they were imagining him in a doggie bag, or maybe Zy's singing was calming them to the point where they were thinking he was food.

"They won't attack," Reyna said. "Unless you try to steal something, or unless I tell them to." Reyna set her dagger on the table. Her hair was black and glossy as volcanic rock, woven in a single braid down her back. She had the poise of a sword fighter - relaxed yet vigilant, as if ready to spring into action at any moment. The worry lines around her eyes made her look older than she probably was. Reminded me a lot of Zy ever since she'd revealed the goddess within her, except she didn't have that ancient wisdom in her eyes and voice that she did, though Reyna was very close, her face and tone still demanding respect.

"We  _have_  met," Percy decided. "But I don't remember when. Please, if you can tell me anything-"

"First things first," Reyna interrupted. "I want to hear your story. What  _do_  you remember? How did you get here? And don't lie. My dogs don't like liars." Argentum and Aurum snarled to emphasize the point. Percy began explaining his story - how he'd woken up at the ruined mansion in the woods of Sonoma, describing his time with Lupa and her pack, learning their language of gestures and expressions, learning to survive and fight. Lupa had taught him about demigods, monsters, and gods. She's explained that she was one of the guardian spirits of Ancient Rome. Demigods like Percy were still responsible for carrying on Roman traditions in modern times - fighting monsters, serving the gods, protecting mortals, and upholding the memory of the empire. She'd spent weeks training him, until he was as strong, tough, and vicious as a wolf. When she was satisfied with his skills, she'd sent him south, telling him that if he survived the journey, he might find a new home and regain his memory. Zy had explained how this was normal for the recruits of the Roman camp, and Reyna's unsurprised expressing backed that up.

"No memory at all?" She asked. "You  _still_  remember nothing?"

"Fuzzy bits and pieces," Percy said. He glanced at the greyhounds, as though considering mentioning something. Reyna spun her dagger.

"Most of what you're describing is normal for demigods. At a certain age, one way or another, we find our way to the Wolf House. We're tested and trained. Zyanya informs me that Audrey and Emily have gone through Lupa's training as well, while Zytaveon got his training in the Underworld. If Lupa deems we're worthy, she sends us south to join the legion. But I've never heard of someone losing his memory. How did you find Camp Jupiter?" He explained the last three days - the gorgons who apparently wouldn't die no matter what he did, meeting us, the old lady who turned out to be Juno, and finally meeting Hazel and Frank at the tunnel in the hill. Hazel took the story from there, describing us as brave and heroic.

"You're all pretty old for recruits," Reyna said. "You're all around, what? Sixteen? Seventeen?"

"Pretty much," Emily said.

"If you spend that many years on your own, without training or help, you should be dead." Ah, what a familiar story. "You two are children of Neptune? And he's a son of Pluto? You'd all have powerful auras that would attract all kinds of monsters."

"Yeah, I've been told that I smell," Percy said. Reyna almost cracked a smile, showing that she was still human, but also tough enough to resist her emotions. I liked her.

"We survived," Audrey said. "Though it wasn't easy. I had the monsters coming since eight, and only survived with help from my friend who was also a demigod. I'm self-trained, but I still got a proper weapon from her and a book with information on some monsters that really helped."

"My dad approached me when I came of age," I said. "He taught me a little about my powers, if not professionally since there was little time, but enough to survive."

"Percy must've been somewhere before the Wolf House," Reyna said. Percy shrugged, clearly having no response as to where he could've been. Juno had said he'd been sleeping for a while. How long had he been asleep? Was it just a metaphor, or was he  _not_  running for the full eight months he'd been missing? Reyna sighed. "Well, the dogs haven't eaten you, so I suppose you're all telling the truth."

"Great," Percy said. "Next time, can I take a polygraph?" Reyna stood and then paced in front of the banners, her metal dogs watching her go back and forth.

"Even if I accept that you're not an enemy, you're not a typical recruit. The Queen of Olympus simply doesn't appear at camp, announcing a new demigod. Not to mention Zyanya doesn't just show up with a group of them for no reason, two of them being children of the Great Three. The last time a major god visited us in person like that…" She shook her head. "I've only heard legends about such things. And a son of Neptune being the one she brings, not to mention Zyanya bringing a  _daughter_  of Neptune as well…that's not a good omen. Especially now."

"What's wrong with Neptune?" Audrey asked.

"And what do you mean, "especially now"?" Emily added.

"You've fought Medusa's sisters, who haven't been seen in thousands of years," Reyna explained. "You've agitated our Lares, who are calling you a graecus, and you wear strange symbols - that shirt, the beads on your necklace. What do they mean?" Percy looked down at his tattered, orange, Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, but the words were luckily too faded to read. The thing was torn to shreds, but he hadn't gotten rid of it for some reason, maybe because it triggered something in his memory. As for the necklace, the four clay beads were each decorated with a different symbol, one showing a trident, another a miniature Golden Fleece, a third etched with the design of a maze, and the last an image of the Empire State Building, with names around it, probably back from camp.

"I don't know," Percy said.

"And your sword? Not to mention her dagger?" The two children of Poseidon (Neptune, I guess, while we were here) realized their sheathed weapons. Percy reached in his pocket and pulled out his pen (which I'm sure he'd lost when he went sledding down the hill on that platter, but I'd been told it returns to his pocket with some magic) and Audrey pulled her necklace out from under her shirt. She'd been using her sword more often, telling me she needed to adjust to both weapons and keeping her dagger as a secret back up in case she was disarmed. Reyna had never seen the weapons, and Percy had lost his sword before we'd seen Hazel and Frank for the first time, so even they didn't know about it. Did Zy tell her about it?

Too late to pretend the weapons didn't exist now. Percy uncapped his pen and Audrey pressed on the necklace's main charm, Riptide springing to full form and Audrey's dagger coming out in a similar manner: it shouldn't have been possible for the weapon to have fit in the charm or the sword to fit in the pen, but here we were. Hazel gasped and Reyna's greyhounds barked apprehensively.

"What are those?" Hazel asked. "I've never seen weapons like that before."

"I have," Reyna said darkly. "They're very old - Greek designs. We used to have a few in the armory before…" She stopped herself. "The metal is called Celestial bronze. It's deadly to monsters, like Imperial gold, but even rarer."

"Imperial gold?" Percy asked. Reyna unsheathed her dagger, and sure enough, the blade was gold.

"The metal was consecrated in ancient times, at the Pantheon in Rome. Its existence was a closely guarded secret of the emperors - a way for their champions to slay monsters that threatened the empire. We used to have more weapons like this, but now…well, we scrape by. I use this dagger. Hazel has a spatha, a cavalry sword. Most legionnaires use a shorter sword called a gladius." A gladius, like the sword Jason had been given from Hera back when he'd visited her after our quest to replace the sword he broke. "But those weapons of yours are not Roman at all. Another sign that you're not a typical demigod. And your arm…"

"What about it?" Percy asked. Reyna held up her own forearm to show that, similar to Jason, she had the four letters SPQR, a crossed sword and torch, and under that, four parallel lines like score marks. Zy held out her forearm, and at first, it was blank, before the similar tattoo of SPQR, an eagle similar to Jason's, a lyre, a fancy Japanese symbol, and thirteen score marks appeared like invisible ink. If I was remembering what I'd been told correctly, the number of score marks represented their years in the legion and/or the number of quests they'd completed, and the symbols represented their godly relative, Zy having an eagle for Zeus, a lyre for Apollo, and that Japanese symbol for her mother, I assumed. The symbol on Reyna's forearm told me she was a daughter of…Bellona, a Roman goddess of war (Greek form: Enyo) closely related to Mars (Greek form: Ares). Gods, there are so many gods.

"We all have them," Hazel confirmed. "All full members of the legion do." Hazel's tattoo also had the SPQR, but she only had one score mark and her emblem was a black glyph like a cross with curved arms and a head. Wait…wasn't that the one for Pluto? Hazel was a daughter of Pluto? Percy held out his forearm. A few scrapes, some mud, a fleck of Crispy Cheese 'n' Wiener, but no tattoos.

"So you've never been a member of the legion," Reyna said. "These marks can't be removed, though they can be cloaked like Zyanya's."

"He's not cloaking them," She said. "No tattoos."

"I thought perhaps…" She shook her head, as if dismissing the idea.

"If they've survived as loners all this time, maybe they've seen Jason," Hazel suggested. "Have you ever met a demigod like us before? A guy in a purple shirt, with marks on his arm-"

"Hazel, I believe they have enough to deal with right now." Percy touched the point of his sword and Riptide shrank back into a pen. Audrey took that as her cue to put her dagger to her chest as it sheathed back to her necklace.

"I haven't seen anyone like you guys before," Percy said. "Who's Jason?" Reyna gave Hazel an irritated look.

"He is…he  _was_  my colleague. The legion normally has two elected praetors. Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, was our other praetor until he disappeared last October." I tried to imagine the Jason Grace that I had known back at camp being a serious and tough leader like Reyna, ruling over the Roman camp beside her, but maybe it was because all his memories had yet to return, but he seemed like a pretty normal guy, not serious and closed off like a leader had to be. Granted, at Camp Half-Blood he didn't always  _need_  to be a leader, though he could if he needed to.

"You mean he's been gone eight months and you haven't replaced him?" Audrey asked.

"He might not be dead," Hazel said. "We haven't given up." Reyna grimaced, and I got the feeling she cared a lot for Jason. Maybe they had been a thing before. Oh, boy. Jason disappears for eight months, and when he eventually comes back, he has a girlfriend named Piper that he gained when he didn't remember Reyna.

"Elections happen in two ways," Zy said. "Either the legion raises someone on a shield after a major success on the battlefield - and there haven't had any major battles - or we hold a ballot on the evening of June 24, at the Feast of Fortuna, which is currently in five days. I hold a position higher than praetor, so I can't take place in the ballot. Besides, I still believe Jason Grace is alive. With Percy being thrown at this camp by Juno and all these mysteries surrounding him, I'd wager his disappearance and Percy's  _a_ ppearence are connected somehow."

"Wait a sec, you have a feast for  _tuna_?" Percy asked.

" _Fortuna_ , goddess of luck. Whatever happens on her feast day can affect the entire rest of the year, granting the camp luck, or  _really_  bad luck." Reyna and Hazel both glanced at the empty display stand, as if thinking about what was missing.

"The Feast of Fortune…" Audrey muttered in thought. "Didn't the gorgons mention that? And Juno too. They said the camp was going to be attacked on that day, something about a big bad goddess named Gaea and an army, and Death being unleashed. You're telling me that day is this  _week?_ " Reyna's fingers tightened around the hilt of her dagger.

"You will say nothing about that outside this room. I will not have you spreading more panic in the camp."

"So it's true," Percy said. "Do you know what's going to happen? Can we stop it?"

"There's obviously going to be an attack," Zy said. "One way or another, this camp should be prepared for a fight, though they always are, it seems. Death being unleashed, though…monsters reviving and becoming much harder to kill…this is very troublesome. If by "Death" they mean with a capital D, as in Thanatos, I assume that means something has happened to him, causing it to be impossible to keep the dead down for long. It's only a hunch though, and I've witnessed nothing other than monsters becoming harder to kill. It's possible that only the monsters are just becoming stronger, but they're still killable with a little more effort, or a lot, but were a  _human_  to come back from death, then our worst fears might be confirmed, and Death may truly be out of commission."

"We've talked enough for now," Reyna announced. "Hazel, take them to Temple Hill. Find Octavian. On the way you can answer some of their questions and explain the legion."

"Yes, Reyna."

"I shall catch up with you at the gathering later," Zy said. "Reyna and I have things to discuss in full disclosure." Wait, she was leaving us? I trusted her and all, but leaving us in a camp where we weren't protected by memory loss like Percy seemed a bit risky, no? But she had gone into goddess mode, and it was clear this discussion was over.

"Good luck with the augury, Percy Jackson," Reyna said. "If Octavian lets you live, perhaps we can compare notes…about your past. And luck to the rest of you as well. Now go."


	5. Octavian

First Person: Emily

On the way out of camp, Hazel bought Percy an espresso drink and a cherry muffin from Bombilo, the two-headed coffee merchant. Percy inhaled the muffin, and seemed very satisfied with the coffee, saying that all he needed was a shower, a change of clothes, and some sleep, and he'd be golden. Imperial golden. That made me laugh. A bunch of kids in swimsuits and towels headed into a building that had steam coming out of a row of chimneys, laughter and watery sounds echoing from inside like an indoor pool.

"Bathhouse," Hazel explained. "We'll get you guys in there before dinner hopefully. You haven't lived until you've had a Roman bath." Percy and Audrey sighed in anticipation, and I laughed again, realizing that the two of them were so alike. Percy seemed like a great brother to Audrey, even if he didn't have his memories. It's really weird to be in the camp Jason was from when he wasn't here, people talking about him being missing, and it was very tempting to talk about how we knew him and where he was. Jason deserved to keep his rank as praetor, and it wasn't his fault he had to stay behind and couldn't come with us back to Camp Jupiter before the Argo II was finished. Sad, I'd like to tour this place with him. As we approached the front gate, the barracks got bigger and nicer. Even the ghosts looked better - with fancier armor and shinier auras. I looked at the banners above the buildings, but there weren't symbols representing the gods like back at Camp Half-Blood.

"You guys are divided into different cabins?" Percy asked.

"Sort of," Hazel said, ducking as a kid riding a giant eagle swooped overhead. "We have five cohorts of about forty kids each. Each cohort is divided into barracks of ten - like roommates kind of."

"So there are around 200 kids at this camp?" Veon asked.

"Roughly."

"And  _all_  of them are children of the gods?" Percy asked. "The gods have been busy." Hazel laughed.

"Well not all of them are children of  _major_  gods. There are hundreds of minor Roman gods. Plus, a lot of the campers are legacies - second or third generation. Maybe their parents were demigods, or their grandparents."

"Children of demigods?" Audrey asked.

"Why? Does that surprise you?"

"Well, after surviving on my own for so long, it kinda makes me question how a demigod could live long enough to have kids."

"Do these Legos-" Percy began, and the similarities between him and Audrey continued.

"Legacies," Hazel corrected.

"Do they have powers like a demigod?"

"Sometimes; sometimes not. But they can be trained. All the best Roman generals and emperors - you know, they all claimed to be descended from gods. Most of the time, they were telling the truth. The camp augur we're going to meet, Octavian, he's a legacy, descendant of Apollo. He's got the gift of prophecy, supposedly."

"Supposedly?" I asked. Hazel made a sour face.

"You'll see." In all my time hanging out with the Apollo kids back at Camp Half-Blood, none of them had the power of prophecy, at least to my knowledge. If this Octavian was anything like the nice kids back there, he couldn't be that bad, right? Based on Hazel's reaction though, I was a bit concerned, considering this guy apparently held our fates in his hands.

"So, the divisions," I began. "The cohorts. Are you divided according to who your godly parent is?"

"What a horrible idea!" Hazel exclaimed and I wondered what was so bad about it. Sure, Audrey, Veon, Jason and such were a bit lonely in their cabins, but it wasn't  _that_  bad, right? Helped keep track of people, and you knew exactly who to go to for certain talents. "No, the officers decide where to assign recruits. If we were divided according to god, the cohorts would be all uneven. I'd be alone." I guess that made a little sense.

"Why? What's your ancestry?" Percy asked.

"Hazel, doesn't that mark on your forearms say you're a child of-" Veon began before suddenly someone shouted out and interrupted him.

"Wait!" A ghost ran towards us, an old man with a medicine ball belly and a toga so long he kept tripping on it. He caught up to us and gasped for air, his purple aura flickering around him. "These are them? New recruits for the Fifth perhaps?"

"Vitellius, we're sort of in a hurry," Hazel said. The ghost circled around us, inspecting us like a used car.

"I don't know," He grumbled. "We need only the best for the cohort. Do they have all their teeth? Can they fight? Do they clean stables?"

"Yes, yes and no," Veon said.

"Well, maybe," I offered.

"Who are you?" Percy asked.

"This is Vitellius," Hazel said. Her expression read:  _Just humor him_. "He's one of our Lares; takes interest in new recruits." On a nearby porch, other ghosts snickered as Vitellius paced back and forth, tripping over his toga and hiking up his sword belt. I looked to the ghosts and they instantly looked away, acting as though they weren't paying attention, though I caught a few trying to look back around again, only to see me still looking to them and turning away again.

"Yes," Vitellius said. "Back in Caesar's day - that's  _Julius_  Caesar, mind you - the Fifth Cohort was something! Twelfth Legion Fulminata, pride of Rome! But these days? Disgraceful what we've come to. Look at Hazel here, using a spatha. Ridiculous weapon for a Roman legionnaire - that's for cavalry! And you! You smell like Greek sewer! Haven't you had a bath?!"

"Please be a little more respective, sir," I requested.

"We've been a little busy fighting gorgons," Percy said.

"Vitellius," Hazel interrupted. "We've got to get them to the augury before they can join. Why don't you check on Frank? He's in the armory doing inventory. You  _know_  how much he values your help." The ghost's furry purple eyebrows shot up.

"Mars Almighty! They let the probatio check the armor? We'll be ruined!" He stumbled off down the street, stopping every few feet to pick up his sword or rearrange his toga."

"O-o-h-h-kay…" Audrey said.

"Sorry," Hazel apologized. "He's eccentric, but he's one of the oldest Lares. Been around since the legion was founded.

"He called the legion…Fulminata?" I asked.

"Armed with lightning," She translated. "That's our motto. The Twelfth Legion was around for the entire Roman Empire. When Rome fell, a lot of legions just disappeared. We went underground, acting under orders from Jupiter himself: stay alive, recruit demigods and their children, keep Rome going. We've been doing that ever since, moving around wherever Roman influence was strongest. The last few centuries, we've been in America."

"So you're the Fifth Cohort," Percy guessed. "Which maybe isn't the most popular?" Hazel scowled.

"Yeah. I joined up last September."

"So just a few weeks before that Jason guy disappeared," Audrey realized. Hazel looked down, and I knew she'd hit a sore spot. Hazel, along with everyone else I'd talked to, seemed to feel a sense of worry with Jason's disappearance, and a loss in hope as it had been so long since he'd disappeared. If only Jason and the others could get the Argo II here faster. We really needed Jason here, and his entire camp would be overjoyed to know he's alive. But we had to keep it to ourselves, I knew that, and had to help Percy on whatever quest he needed to go on as Jason had. Only then would Jason and the others be allowed to come here and unite the camps.

"I'm sorry, Hazel," I said. "So where are we going again?" She looked up, happy for the change of subject.

"Come on. I'll show you my favorite view." We stopped outside the main gates. The fort was situated on the highest point in the valley, so we could see pretty much everything. The road led down to the river and then divided, one path leading south across a bridge, up to the hill with all the temples, and the other led north to the city, a miniature version of Ancient Rome. Unlike the military camp, the city looked chaotic and colorful, with buildings crowded together at haphazard angles. Even from this far away, I could see people gathered in the plaza, shoppers milling around an open-air market, parents and kids playing in the parks.

"You have families here?" I asked.

"In the city, absolutely," Hazel said. "When you're accepted into the legion, you do ten years of service, and after that, you can muster out whenever you want. Most demigods go into the mortal world, like Zyanya seems to have done, but for some…well, it's pretty dangerous out there. This valley is a sanctuary. You can go to college, get married, have kids, and retire when you get old. It's the only safe place on earth for people like us. So yeah, a lot of veterans make their homes there, under the protection of the legion." I immediately thought of Camp Half-Blood, but I realized that back there, they didn't have a city like this, where people could actually live their lives like normal people, but not have to keep their demigod side a secret. This sounded like a paradise. I wondered if we could bring our families here if we made it through ten years and could retire. We were in the demigod life for good now, but maybe not forever. If only the two camps could have gotten along already, because there are so many people at Camp Half-Blood that would love this idea.

Maybe this was why the Roman camp was so strict and ready for battle. They weren't savages, always looking to fight and win wars like a bunch of Ares (or Mars in this case) kids. They had something to protect, people to protect, people that deserved to choose a normal life if they wanted to, because they'd never been given a choice to who their parents were. The thought was warming. How could these two camps possibly be at war? All they wanted was to survive the life of a demigod, and the wars that divided them were in the past. No one here should have a grudge against people they don't even know. I guess that was Hera's goal, to make the two camps see the other side, the similarities between the camps rather than the differences that prejudice can limit you to.

"What if you get attacked?" Veon asked. Hazel pursed her lips.

"We have defenses, the borders are magical, but…our strength is admittedly not what it used to be. Lately, the monster attacks have been increasing. What you said about the gorgons not dying? We've noticed that too with other monsters."

"Do you know what's causing it?" Percy asked.

"It's…it's complicated. My brother says Death isn't-"

"Make way!" Someone shouted. All of us moved out of the road as a demigod rode past on a full-grown pachyderm covered in black Kevlar armor. The word  **ELEPHANT**  was printed on the side of his armor, which seemed a little obvious. The elephant thundered down the road and turned north, heading towards a big open field where some fortifications were under construction.

"What the-?" Percy asked.

"Elephant," Hazel explained.

"Yeah, I read the sign. Why do you have an elephant with a bulletproof vest?"

"War games tonight. That's Hannibal. If we didn't include him, he'd get upset."

"Well, we can't have that," Audrey said. Hazel laughed, and it was hard to believe she had looked so moody a moment ago. Who was her brother though? She said she'd be alone if the camp was divided by their godly parent. Veon had said he had a guess to who her parent was based on the symbol under her SPQR brand. If Hazel said she'd be alone, that had to mean she was either a child of a minor god that didn't get out much, or maybe she was a child of one of the Big Three. She didn't have an eagle, and I assumed Poseidon - Neptune - would be a trident, because why would it be any different in the other camp? Her symbol  _was_ black. Maybe she was a daughter of Pluto! Veon had a sister! She seemed nice and easy-going, mature for someone her age, though that wasn't too rare considering where we were and who we all were, but I could sense she seemed to be hiding a deep sadness, like she was guilty about something.

"Looks like Octavian is busy," Hazel said, and I looked south across the river where dark clouds were gathering over Temple Hill. Red flashes of lightning washed the monuments in blood-colored light.

"Looks like Final Fantasy XIII-3," Veon muttered.

"We'd better get over there." We continued on, but were once again interrupted when we passed a group of satyrs hanging out on the side of the road. What were they called in Roman terms? Fauns?

"Hazel!" One of them cried. He trotted over with a grin on his face. He wore a faded Hawaiian shirt and nothing for pants except thick brown goat fur. His massive afro juggled, and his eyes were hidden behind little, round, rainbow-tinted glasses. He held up a cardboard sign that read:  **WILL** **WORK** **SING** **TALK** **GO AWAY FOR DENARII**.

"Hi Don," Hazel said. "Sorry, we don't have time-"

"Oh that's cool! That's cool!" Don trotted along with us. "Hey, these are the new guys, right?! Do you have three denarii for the bus? Because I left my wallet at home, and I've got to go to work, and-"

"Don," Hazel chided. "Fauns don't have wallets. Or jobs. Or homes. And we don't have buses."

"Right, but do you have denarii?"

"Your name is Don the Faun?" Audrey asked.

"Yeah. So?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Why don't fauns have jobs?" Percy asked. "Shouldn't they work for the camp?" Don bleated.

"Fauns! Work for the camp! Hilarious!"

"Fauns are, um, free spirits," Hazel explained. "They hang out here because, well, it's a safe place to hang out and beg. We tolerate them, but-"

"Oh, Hazel is awesome. She's so nice! All the other campers are like, "Go away, Don," but she's like, "Please go away, Don." I love her!" The faun seemed harmless, but it was a little unsettling. I mean, Hedge was a bit energetic, but he could still do a job properly, and keep a cover as a protector. Not to mention Grover, who was really nice and apparently the one sent to protect Percy when he was first brought to Camp Half-Blood and when he was on a quest for Zeus's lightning bolt. Fauns should be more than just homeless guys begging for denarii. Don looked at the ground in front of us and gasped.

"Score!" He reached for something.

"Don, don't!" Hazel screamed. She pushed him out of the way and snatched up a small shiny object. I looked like it was a diamond, but she slipped it into her pocket so fast, I couldn't be sure.

"Come on, Hazel! I could've bought a year's worth of doughnuts with that!"

"Don, please. Go away." She sounded shaken, as though she'd just saved Don from a charging, bulletproof elephant. The faun sighed.

"Aw, I can't stay mad at you. But I swear, it's like you're good luck. Every time you walk by-"

"It's been nice meeting you, Mr. Don," I said, sensing Hazel's discomfort and acting. "But we need to go now. Bye!" Hazel was more than happy to jog away, the rest of us following.

"What was that about?" Percy asked. "That diamond in the road-"

"Please, don't ask," Hazel said. Veon waved his hand and the diamond shot out of Hazel's pocket into his fist before he examined it.

"Hm, interesting." He threw it downwards and it disappeared into the ground. "Just a gem from the ground. I must've summoned it by accident. Sorry. I'm not supposed to give around jewels willy-nilly, or my father will get on my case. Not to mention leaving that in the hands of a sat-faun. Questionable idea. Don't worry about it." I sensed he was lying, but Hazel was both calmed and confused by Veon's interference.

Luckily, we walked the rest of the way to Temple Hill undisturbed. A crooked stone path led past a crazy assortment of tiny altars and massive domed vaults, and statues of the gods seemed to follow us with their eyes. Wait, hadn't Nico said he'd shadow travel us to the Temple of Pluto? We should ask Hazel if we could go there and look for him after we see this Octavian. Hazel pointed to the Temple of Bellona.

"Goddess of war. That's Reyna's mom." We passed a massive red crypt decorated with human skulls on iron spikes.

"Please tell me we're not going in there," Percy said, and Hazel shook her head.

"That's the Temple of Mars Ultor."

"Mars…Ares, the war god?"

"That's his Greek name, but yeah, same guy. Ultor means "the Avenger." He's the second most important god of Rome." The red building gave off the same aura as the Ares kids back at Camp Half-Blood that made people around it feel angry, though it was a bit off. Maybe because of the Roman aspect, or maybe it was because this was the temple of the god himself and not his children. Either way, I knew that I didn't belong there, as I was a daughter of not only Aphrodite, but Hestia, and encouraged people to  _stop_  fighting and be calm, much to the Ares cabin's disliking. But they couldn't dislike me for long thanks to that very same aura, so you know. Aphrodite fell in love with Ares, and Hestia was able to get Ares to calm down, but I was basically the exact opposite of that temple.

"Uh, I'm guessing that's Zeus - uh, I mean Jupiter's? That's where we're heading?" Percy asked, pointing toward the summit where the clouds swirled over the largest temple, a round pavilion with a ring of white columns supporting a domed roof.

"Yeah," Hazel confirmed, sounding a bit edgy. "Octavian reads auguries there - the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus."

"Jupiter the best and the greatest?" Veon translated. "That's subtle, and  _very_  humble, eh?"

"What's Neptune's name?" Audrey asked. "The coolest and most awesome?"

"Um, not quite," Hazel said, gesturing to a small blue building the size of a tool shed. A cobweb-covered trident was nailed above the door. Percy peeked inside, and on a small alter sat a bowl with three dried-up mold apples.

"Popular place," She said, a little spitefully.

"I'm sorry. It's just…Romans were always scared of the sea. They only used ships if they  _had_  to. Even in modern times, having children of Neptune around has always been a bad omen. The last time one joined the legion…well, it was 1906, when Camp Jupiter was located across the bay in San Francisco. There was this huge earthquake-"

"You're telling me a child of Neptune caused that?"

"So they say."

"That sounds more like a Ha-Pluto thing," Veon said, still adjusting to the Roman names. "Jupiter gets the skies, Neptune gets the sea, and Pluto gets the earth. The Underworld, I guess, but close enough. Or, it could be the earth goddess, for hopefully obvious reasons. Why blame it on a water god? You guys could be in the middle of the U.S. and you'd blame it on Neptune, I swear…"

"This is modern times," I said. "Maybe if you were a little nicer to Neptune, not necessarily loving him, but not hating or fearing him, he'd be nicer to you. Why not try and change? Things your ancestors did doesn't force you to be just like them."

"Things don't change very quickly, not with so many people," Hazel said. "If there's going to be some kind of change, everyone has to agree on it. If we all announced one day that no one should fear or hate Neptune without a good reason, most will ignore the order or do it behind everyone else's backs. And thus, things remain pretty much the same as back then. Romans fear Neptune, but they don't love him much." Percy stared at the cobwebs on the trident. I sensed some sadness within him, and could take a guess that he was feeling like he would never fit in here, not to mention the fact that he didn't know where he came from and that he had a home. He must feel so lost right now. Percy reached into his backpack and dug out a stale bagel. It wasn't much, but he set it on the altar.

"Hey…uh, Dad," He said, clearly feeling a little stupid for talking to a bowl of fruit. "If you can hear me, help me out, okay? Give me my memory back. Tell me…tell me what to do." His voice cracked, and I sensed more emotion. He was exhausted, scared, confused, and lost. He needed a goal, at least a little guidance, wanted to know something for sure instead of grabbing for missing memories. I quickly hugged him and tried to send him waves of comfort and relief.

"Don't worry. It'll be okay. We're on your side, Percy." I felt him warming from the comfort, and he was happy to have support. Above us, thunder rumbled, red lightning lighting up the hill.

"Octavian's almost done," Hazel said. "Let's go." We walked off to Jupiter's temple, which, compared to Neptune's shed, was definitely optimus and maximus. The marble floor was etched with fancy mosaics and Latin inscriptions, the domed ceiling sparkled gold sixty feet above, and the whole temple was opened to the wind. In the center stood a marble altar, where a kid in a toga was doing some sort of ritual in front of a massive golden statue of the big guy himself: Jupiter the sky god, dressed in a silk XXXL purple toga, holding a lightning bolt. It looked different from the statue of Zeus back at Camp Half-Blood in Jason's cabin, though I guess that was to be expected.

"It doesn't look like that," Percy muttered.

"What?" Hazel asked.

"The master bolt."

"What are you  _talking_  about?"

"I…" Percy frowned, the same way Jason did when he was trying to remember something. "Nothing, I guess." The kid at the altar raised his hands, more red lightning flashing in the sky and shaking the temple. Then he put his hands down and the rumbling stopped, the clouds turning from gray to white and then breaking apart. Impressive trick. He was tall and skinny, with straw-colored hair, oversized jeans, a baggy T-shirt, and a drooping toga. Hadn't Hazel said he was a descendant of Apollo? Audrey, Zy and I hung out with the Apollo cabin a lot back at Camp Half-Blood, but the way Hazel seemed disgusted when she talked about him had me questioning him.

"What's he doing?" Percy asked. The guy in the toga turned. He had a crooked smile and a slightly crazy look in his eyes, like he just been playing an intense videogame (and I would know with Veon and Zy always playing against each other before). In one hand he held a knife, and in the other hand was something like a dead animal. Yeah, that didn't make him any less crazy.

"Percy, Audrey, Veon, Emily, this is Octavian," Hazel said.

"The graecus!" Octavian announced. "How interesting."

"Uh, hi," Audrey said. "Are you killing small animals?" Octavian looked at the fuzzy thing in his hand and laughed.

"No, no. Once upon a time, yes. We used to read the will of the gods by examining animal guts - chickens, goats, that sort of thing. Nowadays, we use these." He tossed the fuzzy thing to Audrey, and I realized it was a disemboweled teddy bear. I looked and saw there was a whole pile of mutilated stuffed animals at the foot of Jupiter's statue. Aw, that's so mean! He shouldn't do that! Well, I guess it's better than real animals, but still…

"Seriously?" Veon asked. Octavian stepped off the dais. He was probably about eighteen, but so skinny and sickly pale, he could've passed for younger. At first, he looked harmless, but there was some kind of gut feeling that I was having that told me to run. As he got closer, I saw his eyes glittering with a harsh curiosity, like he might gut any one of us if he thought he could learn something from it.

"You seem nervous," He said.

"You remind me of someone," Percy said. "I can't remember who."

"Possibly my namesake, Octavian - Augustus Caesar. Everyone says I bear a remarkable resemblance."

"Is that…so?" I said.

"Why did you call me "the Greek?" Percy asked.

"I saw it in the auguries." Octavian waved his knife at the pile of stuffing on the altar. "The message said:  _The Greek has arrived_. Or possibly:  _The goose has cried_. I'm thinking the first interpretation is correct. You all seek to join the legion?" We began to explain to Octavian everything that had happened - the gorgons, the fight at the river, the appearance of Juno, and our conversation with Reyna. When Hazel mentioned Juno, Octavian looked surprised.

"Juno," He mused. "We call her Juno Moneta. Juno the Warner. She appears in times of crisis, to counsel Rome about great threats." He looked around at us as if to say:  _like mysterious Greeks, for instance_.

"I hear the Feast of Fortuna is this week," I said smiling.

"The gorgons warned that there'd be an invasion on that day," Veon remembered. "Did you see that in your stuffing?"

"Sadly, no," Octavian sighed. "The will of the gods is hard to discern. And these days, my vision is even darker."

"You wouldn't happen to have…I don't know. An oracle or something?" Audrey suggested.

"An oracle!" Octavian smiled. "What a cute idea. No, I'm afraid we're fresh out of oracles. Now, if we'd gone questing for the Sibylline books, like I recommended-"

"Siba-what?" Percy asked.

"Books of prophecy," Hazel explained. "Which Octavian is  _obsessed_  with. Romans used to consult them when disasters happened. Most people believe they burned up when Rome fell."

" _Some_  people believe that," Octavian corrected. "Unfortunately our present leadership won't authorize a quest to look for them-"

"Because Reyna isn't stupid."

"-so we have only a few remaining scraps from the books. A few mysterious predictions like these." He nodded to the inscriptions on the marble floor, and I stared at the lines of words.

" _Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall-_ " Veon began translating, pointing as he read. " _An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death._ "

"Yes, yes," Octavian said, as though a million people had asked him about it.

"I…I know that one," Percy said, trembling. "That's  _important_ …" Octavian arched his eyebrow.

"Of course it's important. We call it the Prophecy of Seven, but it's several thousand years old. We don't know what it means. Every time someone tries to interpret it…well, Hazel can tell you. Bad things happen." Hazel glared at him.

"Just read them the augury. Can they join the legion or not?" I could see Octavian's mind working, calculating our usefulness. He held out a hand for Percy's backpack.

"That's a beautiful specimen. May I?" Percy looked confused, but then Octavian snatched the Bargain Mark panda pillow pet (as seen on TV) that was sticking out of the top of his pack before turning and raising his knife.

"Hey!" Percy protested. Octavian slashed open the panda's belly and poured its stuffing over the altar. He tossed the panda carcass aside, muttered a few words over the fluff, and turned with a big smile on his face.

"Good news! They all may join the legion. We'll assign them cohorts at evening muster. Tell Reyna that I approve."

"Um…thank you," I said, trying to smile appreciatively.

"Uh, great," Hazel said. "Come on."

"Oh, and Hazel," Octavian said. "I'm happy to welcome them into the legion, but when the election for praetor comes up, I hope you'll remember-"

"Jason  _isn't_  dead!" Hazel snapped. "You're the augur. You're supposed to be looking for him!"

"Oh, I am!" He pointed to the pile of stuffed animals. "I consult the gods every day! Alas, after eight months, I've found nothing. Of course, I'm still looking. But if Jason doesn't return by the Feast of Fortuna, we must act. We can't have a power vacuum any longer. I hope you'll support me for praetor. It would mean so much to me." Anger flared in my chest, and I realized this guy was worse than Drew, and she had charm speak on her side. Nothing like what I thought a descendant of Apollo would be like, based on what I'd seen back at Camp Half-Blood. He was clearly a power-hungry madman that would do anything to get what he wanted, even if that meant not playing fair. If he were to take Jason's place…not only would that give the maniac power, but it would kick Jason out of his rightful position just because Jason couldn't make it in time. We should've brought him along, Zyanya's words be damned. Wait, no, we had to follow the rules or else something worse could happen. Keep calm and in control of your emotions, I reminded myself.

"Me. Support. You?" Hazel asked, her fists clenched. Octavian took off his toga, setting it and his knife on the altar. I noticed seven lines on Octavian's arm - most likely seven years of camp since this guy didn't look like a quest kind of guy, unless he was going off to fight an army of rogue stuffed animals. He had the lyre of Apollo similar to Zy's.

"After all," Octavian told Hazel. "I might be able to help you. It would be a shame if those awful rumors about you kept circulating…or, gods forbid, if they turned out to be true." Percy slipped his hand into his pocket for his pen, and I saw Audrey beginning to fiddle with her necklace. Veon was tapping his finger on the sword at his hip, and clearly all of us were willing to attack should Hazel give the sign. He was blackmailing her, that was obvious.

"Oh, rumors are just rumors," I said, dealing with things the same way I did back at camp. Rumors were Drew's secret weapon after all, and her charm speak was a formidable weapon when it came to spreading bad gossip to get revenge on Piper. "Hazel's a good person. How could anybody believe such things about her? If anyone doubts her, then I'll set them straight. No person has any right to gossip about things they have no proof of. And Jason  _is_  alive, and I have no doubt he's just been held back from returning, probably fighting a bunch of monsters that aren't his fault. Honestly, people will believe anything these days. If someone started the rumor that chocolate was just a trick of the gods you'd all believe it." I sighed and shook my head in a scolding manner. "Anyway, we'll be going now. Nice to meet you, Octavian! I'll bring you a stuffed animal next time I see you!" Octavian glared, but it didn't last as I pushed away any angry intentions he had with my powers.

"By the way, Hazel, your brother is here," He said, his exasperation fading like he'd forgotten what we were talking about. Hazel stiffened.

"My brother? Why?" Octavian shrugged.

"Why does your brother do  _anything?_  He's waiting for you at your father's shrine. Just…ah, don't invite him to stay too long. He has a disturbing effect on the others. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to keep searching for our poor lost friend, Jason. Nice to meet you all." Hazel stormed out of the pavilion and the rest of us followed, but I caught Veon staring at some of the inscriptions on marble floor.

"Ve, come on," I said. He reluctantly tore his eyes away and followed after, a disturbed feeling emanating from him. "Ve, what's wrong? What were you looking at? What did it say?"

"Uh, just…you know, that prophecy Rachel gave me by accident back when she gave Jason his, at camp before the quest. You know, at the camp fire all that time ago before I was claimed. The whole thing about fearing the pit, darkness, pain and such. I just…haven't thought about it in a while. Nevermind, it's fine. Let's go." I sensed that it wasn't fine, definitely not, but he made it clear he didn't want to think about it right now, and talking would only make it worse. I reluctantly stayed quiet, sensing that that was the right thing to do at the moment and followed them out of the temple.


	6. Children of Pluto

First Person: Zytaveon

What did it mean? The prophecies that I'd read on the floor of the temple…It couldn't be…

Hazel was marching down the hill, cursing in Latin, and this was one of the moments where my language abilities were a little more of a detriment than an advantage. She was saying a couple things like " _son of a gorgon_ ," " _power hungry snake_ ," along with a few choice suggestions about where Octavian should stick his knife. If only Zy had been with us. She could've condemned that little, rotten son of a shoopuf the moment he opened his mouth. Could she prevent him from becoming praetor if she held a higher rank than one?

"I  _hate_  that guy," Hazel said in English. "If I had my way-"

"He won't really get elected praetor, will he?" Percy asked.

"I wish I could be certain. Octavian has a lot of friends, most of them  _bought_. The rest of the campers are afraid of him."

"That skinny guy?" I asked. "He's hardly scary. If anything,  _I'm_  more intimidating than him, and I'm not even trying to be."

"Don't underestimate him. Reyna's not so bad by herself, but if Octavian shares her power…" Hazel shuddered. "Let's go see my brother. He'll want to meet you." None of us argued, hoping to get to Nico and hopefully ask what happened during our shadow travel. He must've ended up at the temple as planned while the rest of us were thrown off course. Maybe it was Emily's words and influence, but I could hardly believe that Hazel had anything that could be used against her. Then again, Octavian had seemed to have some first-class dirt on her. Whatever. Hazel was a friend, even if we hadn't known her long, similar to Piper, Jason and Leo. I'd gladly turn on this entire camp if they were being unfair to someone. I was the freaking King of Souls, and human souls were always so predictable. I may not have been able to condemn the gorgons as easily as I'd like, but the humans were something I was experienced with. Hazel let us to a black crypt built into the side of the hill, and standing in front was a familiar teenage boy in black jeans, and an aviator jacket.

"Nico!" I called. "There you are!" He turned, and for a microsecond, when he saw Percy, he seemed shocked, even panicked, like he'd been caught in a searchlight.

" ** _It's really…but then…_** " I heard myself think. Wait, those weren't my thoughts. Those were…those were  _Nico's_. I felt a wave of emotion, confusion, fear as though someone would find out about…Nico. These were from him. Whatever happened during our shadow travel…it must've connected our souls somehow. When shadow traveling, we are condensed down to our souls, able to travel through the darkness because we're children of Hades. Our bodies obviously can't come through the shadows, so our souls are left unprotected, and that's why if someone tried to go in the shadows without being properly prepared, like if they weren't born with a soul resistant to the darkness, they hadn't been trained to survive it, or someone that was/had wasn't there to guide them, they'd be consumed by them in an instant. When we shadow traveled together, Nico and my souls must've somehow connected in a way, and that's what threw us off course while I was distracted with Nico's memories, his emotions, everything. What life had he gone through…? Sadly, now I already knew. Did that mean he knew everything about me in return? I'd have to ask Zy if my hunch was right.

Right now, Nico was confused, as though he hadn't expected Percy to be real. Right, we hadn't told Nico we were coming to Camp Jupiter for Percy, only that we were going there to try and make peace talks and warn them about the Argo II. When we soul-bonded or whatever, he must've found out, but didn't believe that our soul-bond had happened, or that my knowledge of Percy being here was real. At least until now. Now, Nico was panicked because of Percy, and because Nico…

"You know him?" Hazel asked. I turned to her and realized what she was asking and tried to remember what my story was.

"Oh, yeah. He's my half-brother. He said he was bringing us to this place, but we ended up going off course, I guess, and we found Percy by accident just outside the camp from where we were thrown. Is  _he_  the brother you were talking about? I thought the symbol on your arm meant Pluto, but I wasn't sure."

"You mean you're a son of Pluto too?"

"Yeah. You couldn't tell by the chains, or the sword, or the death, earth and gem powers?"

"I guess I thought it was  _possible_ , but you didn't actually say it aloud, so…Oh, uh, Nico. This is Percy Jackson." Nico regained his composure and held out his hand.

"Pleased to meet you," He said. "I'm Nico di Angelo." The two of them shook hands, studying each other warily. If Nico really did have my memories, then he knew to pretend like he didn't know Percy, but what else did he know? I'd have to consult Zy, since she hadn't shared information with anyone outside of her chosen team, and Nico was  _not_  a part of that team, sadly. The tension between the two of them could easily be seen as the two prepared to bust out their swords and powers any second now, and clearly Nico was working to keep his cool. Nico really wasn't a scary guy, and as my brother who was so similar to me, I could understand why Audrey was excited to meet Percy, a sibling who was so like you, understood what it was like to have your father. Nico and I didn't talk very often, but we already knew we could at least trust each other. With our soul-bond, I felt even closer to my brother, and I knew he needed a little help right now.

"I…I know you," Percy said. Nico raised his eyebrows, and I breathed, keeping my cool and feeling Nico leaning on that to keep his as well.

"Do you?" He looked to me, asking a million questions and looking for some kind of explanation, still keeping his face straight.

"Um…Percy lost his memory," Hazel said. She began explaining what had happened since Percy had arrived at the gates, but Nico seemed lost in thought rather than listening to her, connecting her story to the one he was getting from me. He already knew what had happened back when we'd found Percy, but he knew it all from my perspective.

"So, Nico…" Hazel continued, oblivious to the inner confusion Nico was going through. "I thought…you know, you travel all over. Maybe you've met demigods like Percy before, or…" His expression darkened, not just because he was keeping his knowledge and feelings towards Percy down as best he could, but because he'd already had to keep the secrets of the two camps before Percy had even come here, and he still couldn't reveal the connections until the Argo II came. Hazel was confused, but she got the message to drop the topic.

"This story about Gaea's army," Nico said. "You warned Reyna?" Percy nodded.

"Who is Gaea, anyway?"

"She's the earth goddess," I said, looking around subtly to make sure no one overheard. We didn't need any panic from the mention of her. "One of the oldest goddess's of them all. She's in a deep sleep most of the time, but she hates the gods and their children."

"Mother Earth…is evil?" Percy asked.

"I know, right?" Audrey agreed. "Hard to believe."

"Very evil," Nico agreed gravely. "She convinced her son, the Titan Kronos - um, I mean Saturn - to kill his dad, Uranus, and take over the world. The Titans ruled for a long time, but then the Titan's children, the Olympian gods, overthrew them."

"That story seems familiar," Percy said, sounding surprised, like an old memory had partially surfaced. "But I don't think I ever heard the part about Gaea." I shrugged.

"She got mad when the gods took over. She took a new husband - Tartarus, the spirit of the abyss - and gave birth to a race of giants. They tried to destroy Mount Olympus, but the gods finally beat them. At least…the first time."

"The first time?" Percy repeated. I glanced to Hazel, but then quickly turned back to Nico. I wasn't supposed to know about Hazel! She trusted Nico not to say anything about her, and Nico hadn't meant to give her past away to me. I had no right to say anything without both Nico and Hazel's consent.

"Last summer," Nico continued. "Saturn tried to make a comeback, and there was a second Titan war. The Romans at Camp Jupiter stormed his headquarters on Mount Othrys, across the bay, and destroyed his throne. Saturn disappeared…" Nico hesitated, watching Percy as though he might remember something. So that was the story on the Roman side versus the Greek. To Greeks, his palace just crumbled with the Titan king's defeat, and to Romans, the Titan king disappeared when his palace was taken.

"Um, Saturn probably faded back into the abyss," I continued, knowing that was the reason the Romans weren't still on alert for Kronos thanks to my connection to Nico.

"Right," Nico said. "We all thought the war was over. Now it looks like the Titans' defeat stirred up Gaea, and she's starting to wake. I've heard reports of the giants being reborn as well. If they mean to challenge the gods again, they'll probably start by destroying the demigods…"

"You've told Reyna this?" Percy asked.

"Of course." Nico's jaw tensed. "The Romans don't trust me. That's why I was hoping she'd listen to you. Children of Pluto…well, no offense, but they think we're even worse than children of Neptune. We're bad luck."

"They let Hazel stay here."

"That's different," Me and Nico said together, and then I mentally shouted at myself to shut up, sensing Nico doing the same. Great, now Hazel must think Nico gave her away! He'd never do that, he respected his sister. I'd have to explain later.

"Why?" Percy asked, not noticing the inner shouting that was going on.

"Percy," Hazel cut in. "Look, the giants aren't the worst problem. Even…even  _Gaea_  isn't the worst problem. The thing you noticed about the gorgons, how they wouldn't die,  _that's_  our biggest concern right now." She looked to Nico, and Nico looked to me.

"I think we've all come to the same conclusion," I said. "We think that what's happening is that Death isn't-" I was interrupted by a shout coming from the hill. We turned to see Frank jogging towards us, wearing his jeans, purple camp shirt, and denim jacket, his hands covered in grease from cleaning weapons. I saw Emily looking between Hazel then Frank, and then she got that smirk on her face that the Aphrodite kids usually had when they figured out two people that liked each other. That was concerning, not because Hazel looked at least three years younger than Frank (if you love someone, you love someone), but because the Aphrodite kids must've been rubbing off on my friend. Gods no.

"Hey Nico," Frank said when he reached the shrine. Nico smiled, and apparently found Frank amusing since he was the only person at camp who wasn't uneasy around the children of Pluto, and because he suspected his relationship with Hazel.

"Frank."

"Reyna sent me to get Percy and the other new guys. Did Octavian accept you?"

"He slaughtered a panda," Emily huffed, clearly unhappy with it.

"But yeah, we're in," Audrey said.

"He…Oh. The augury? Yeah, teddy bears must have nightmares about that guy. But you're in! We need to get you guys cleaned up before evening muster."

"You're right," Hazel said, looking at the sun getting low over the hills. "We'd better-"

"Actually, why don't you guys take the three of them down?" I asked. "We'll be along soon."

"That's…that's a good idea," Hazel said. "Go ahead, we'll catch up." Percy looked to Nico again, as though he was trying to place a memory.

"I'd like to talk with you some more. I can't shake the feeling-"

"Sure," Nico said. "Later. I'll be staying overnight."

"You will?" Hazel blurted. I realized the campers here might not like that - a son of Neptune and  _two_  sons of Pluto arriving on the same day. Now all we needed were some black cats and broken mirrors.

"Go on, guys," I said. "Settle in. We siblings need some bonding time." Reluctant to split our group ever further, Audrey looked ready to step in, but Emily grabbed her arm and started pulling her off.

"Okay!" She said, silently understanding. She was such a great friend. "See you later, Ve!"

"But, Em…!" Audrey began to protest, but Emily gave her a subtle look and Audrey suddenly seemed to forget what she was talking about. "Oh, okay. See you!"

The three of them left with Frank, and then Nico took Hazel and I up to the roof of Pluto's shrine to talk. I had to admit, back at Camp Half-Blood, during the little time I'd spent there, I enjoyed going up to the roof of the Hades cabin, cut off from everyone with a semi-decent view. This place was just as good, and now I had the place to share with. The roof was covered with bones and diamonds, but according to Nico's memories, only the bones had already been there, and the diamonds had come from Hazel. If she sat anywhere too long, or just got anxious, they started popping up all around her like mushrooms after rain. Several million dollars' worth of stones glittered on the roof, but Hazel's gems were said to be cursed by anyone who grabbed them for themselves, and it was even worse if they sold them. Luckily, the other campers knew not to touch them, since they knew better than to steal from temples - especially Pluto's - and the fauns never come here anyway. I'd learned to control precious metals and gems when I was back in the Underworld, though I was still learning. I waved my finger and began singing a song in my head, the gems coming loose and flying around me to the rhythm.

"So you  _are_  a son of Pluto," Hazel said.

"You doubted me?" I asked, summoning all the gems in front of me to form the shape of a skull. "You're certainly a gold mine, Hazel. I could teach you how to control the gems if you want. We can't have these popping up everywhere, can we?" I flicked my wrist and the gems returned to their places on the roof. "Besides, I've never had a sister before. And no, my cousins don't count. Well, Emily's my second cousin, but whatever."

"Who's Emily's godly parent again?"

"Aphrodite - I mean Venus. She's invincible, can manipulate people's emotions, and has a slight bit of charm speak. Though she's very nice, and doesn't abuse her powers by any means. Still, if you don't know the kind of person she is, you'd be very afraid to try and win an argument against her. Audrey's obviously a daughter of Neptune, as you know. You saw her hydrokinesis, controlling the water, but she can control all kinds of liquids, can turn them to vapors or solids, and even turn herself into water, making her a really hard opponent to hit during a training match, at least that's what I've been told." I twirled my Stygian iron sword in my hand, sweeping my fingers carefully across the blade. Nico and Hazel's swords were sitting to the side.

"I ain't going against her any time soon, and if I had to, I'd be hoping for a miracle," I continued. "I obviously don't want to kill her, but it's hard to fight an opponent you don't want to kill when they're being so annoying. You can't hit her to knock her out unless you jump her, and even then, she turns to water as a fight or flight response even without conscious thought. And Emily? She emits an aura that resists people's fighting urge, so it's hard to be mad at her, let alone raise a weapon against her. She could smile and an army would lower their weapons for her. I fear for whoever becomes her boyfriend. Not to mention the invincibility thing. You couldn't hurt her if you tried, though you can knock her back, and it's not like she can't feel pain. She's just incapable of being burnt, frozen, pierced, etc. Granted, she  _does_  have earrings, so I guess that's not completely true. Not sure how that works, but I'm not even sure she does either." Hazel laughed, and it felt nice to make my sister laugh.

"And what about Zyanya?" She asked.

"She's…complicated. Where the heck do I begin? First off, Zyanya's a goddess of unknown origins, at least to me, inside of a host named Lucy. As you may have saw on her tattoo, she's a granddaughter of Jupiter, and a granddaughter of Apollo, her mom being that third symbol and a daughter of Zeus, while her dad's a half-blood son of Apollo. That means she has power over lightning, wind, music, healing, etc, while also having her normal abilities enhanced by being her mother's daughter, so even without the goddess within her…" I sighed. "Oh, boy. Watch out. Then, with the  _goddess's_  power on top of that, she can literally create anything she can imagine. Of course, she does have her limits, being in a human body, but she's still someone you do  _not_  want to get on the bad side of."

"And what about you?"

"Son of Pluto and associated with death and such. I can turn things to ash, control the dead, oddly enough change my clothes, understand all languages with a little concentration, shadow travel, manipulate precious metals, Mist, shadows and dark stuff in general, I'm good with the earth, I'm not half bad with a sword, I can control the chains that contain and condemn spirits, I've got a staff to do so, as well as dad's lance that allows me flight."

"Wow, that's…certainly a lot."

"Well most of them I'm not an expert on, but I've had a little training from father. I know more  _of_  most of my powers than how to actually use them. Not to mention that I've used most of those powers in the Underworld, and being in the Overworld again severely limits me compared to back there where… _everything_ seemed to give me power. The first time I came up after a good deal of time down there, I had to wear sunglasses since I wasn't used to the sun's rays. I got over it by the next day, but still. Literally, as if anyone needed anymore reason to call me a vampire. Back in my school, people would always call me that, though I didn't really mind since I had my friends. It wasn't far from the truth. I've been brought back to life, after all."

"You have?"

"Yes. Only for a very temporary amount of time, and my memory of the events are…shall we say…nonexistent. As far as I'm concerned, that's fine. I don't want Thanatos showing up on my doorstep and punishing Hades or Pluto for allowing my escape. I've made good friends in my life thanks to dad. Granted, they didn't tell me they were demigods too until recently. I still can't believe my three best friends were all demigods, all knew each other were demigods, knew  _I_  was a demigod, and didn't freaking tell me until we were attacked while we were all in the same room. The impertinence. If that's the right word. Or if that's a word in the first place. I'm not actually sure. Am I rambling again? I must warn you, I tend to do that." Hazel laughed.

"It's fine."

"Well, tell me about you now. I mean, Nico's great and all, but we're brothers, and brothers don't tend to sit down and talk about their life stories. Not to mention both of us have different schedules, and he's never told me about a sister, he didn't really have time."

"Well, has he told you anything?"

"No…"

"Well you seemed to know a bit about me before when we'd met." I sighed.

"Hazel, you have to understand that it wasn't Nico's fault. Just hear me out. Nico was taking us to Camp Jupiter today, offering me and my friends a place to stay, but the problem was, I'd never traveled with another shadow traveler before, and so during the trip, something happened and Nico and my souls seemed to accidently meld or bond or something, and now I know everything he knows and he knows everything I know, which reminds me that you need to talk to Zy because she's gonna kill me if you say something you shouldn't, Nico."

"I know, I have your mind in mine, right?" Nico said. "That's the exact same place my mind went when I realized what had happened. No offense, but you are  _really_  messed up in here."

"Feeling's mutual."

"So then you already know what Nico knows about me," Hazel said hesitantly.

"Yeah, but I also know that you're here, and that's what matters. You're a good person, Hazel, I can sense that even without Nico's memories. If you need more proof, go to Emily. She's an expert at telling who's good and who's bad, and she knows  _exactly_  what to say to make things better. Don't ask me how, but it must be a Venus thing. If you're ever feeling down, go to her and feel free to pour your heart out. She won't judge, and she knows how to consol you. And don't think you can hide anything from her either, because she can sense any kind of turmoil within someone and has the utmost urge to fix it, so you'll only be hurting her by bottling things up, not to mention that hurts you too. She must be crushed by not being able to help Percy Jackson with his memory loss…" She looked to Nico.

"Nico, that reminds me…You know him, don't you?" Nico looked at the ground below us, his hands together in his lap and his legs swinging off the roof.

"Percy Jackson," He said in thought, like his name was an incantation. "Hazel, we have to be very careful what we say. Important things are at work here, and some secrets need to stay secrets. You of all people - you should understand that."

"But he's not…like me?"

"No. I'm sorry, but we can't tell you more. We can't interfere. Percy has to find his own way at this camp."

"Is he dangerous?" I smiled, Nico's memory combined with what I'd been told back at Camp Half-Blood flooding into me.

"Very. To his enemies. But he's no threat to Camp Jupiter. You can trust him."

"Like I trust you," Hazel said bitterly. Nico twisted his skull ring, and I sensed that was something that happened when he got nervous. Just like me and my rings. The bones around us began to quiver as if they were trying to form a new skeleton. Something else that happened when a child of death got moody, I see.

"Look, I know this is hard, but you have a second chance. You can make things right."

"Nothing about this is right," Hazel declared, and I felt like I was intruding on a private moment between the two of them. Then again, I had Nico's memories, and I understood what Hazel was talking about, sadly. I had a right to participate in this conversation, and Hazel needed support right now. "If they find out the truth about me-"

"They won't," Nico promised. "They'll call a quest soon. They have too. You'll make me proud. Trust me, Bi-" Nico caught himself, but both of us knew what he had been about to say.  _Bianca_. Nico's original sister, the one he'd grown up with. I now knew Nico's story, and it was so sad to find that Nico had survived so much from a young age, from the time period he was from, through the wars, struggles and battles even as he lost everything. He was pretty strong, and only technically, what? 14 years old?

"I'm sorry," Hazel said. She swallowed. "So it's true then, about Death? Is Alcyoneus to blame?"

"I think so," Nico said. "Veon, how's it been in the Underworld?"

"Hectic to say the least. I've been swamped with work, judging the normal souls that we could gather from humans, but father is going crazy under the stress of keeping things together, though he pretends otherwise. Now that I'm out here trying to resolve what's happened to Death, he's probably got it even worse handling all of the human souls on top of everything else. Whether the gods have the ability to be in numerous places at once or not, he's busy, stretching himself thin. We know that I had to leave though, because he needs me to resolve what's happened. Or at least, that's what he told me a while ago, and he hasn't really taken back the order to go and check on Thanatos. I've just been taking a  _really_  long time to do so.

"I thought things were bad down there, but now I see how bad it's become up here because of it. The gorgons were reviving faster than I'd ever seen, and they resisted my chains like they were nothing. Monsters are getting stronger and learning to stay alive and revive before we can properly contain and condemn them. Plus the fact that I have to adjust to using my powers in the Overworld. We're not in a very good position. But hey, that's why you're here. All that stuff in your past - you can make something  _good_ come out of it. You belong here at Camp Jupiter." Hazel looked down, clearly not believing my words. Great. I wasn't Emily, and I wasn't very good at comforting people, or making them believe that my comforting words were true. Suddenly Hazel began to wobble like she was about to fall asleep.

"Hazel?" I asked, but she didn't respond and instead stared off into the sunset. " _Hazel?_ " I pushed, and put my hand on her shoulder. And suddenly I blacked out.


	7. Blackout

First Person: Zytaveon

December 17, 1941, New Orleans. Hazel's thirteenth birthday.

Hazel was walking home alone from the riding stables. Despite the cold evening, she was buzzing with warmth. Sammy had just kissed her on the cheek.

Who was Sammy? Sammy was Hazel's best friend. How did I know this? Who knows? I found myself floating beside Hazel as she walked, a mere ghost. I waved my hand in front of Hazel's face, but she didn't react, and that's when I noticed my ghostly state. I followed Hazel's movements without moving myself, as though the world around us was moving and Hazel was holding still. Memories were flooding though my mind, information that I shouldn't have been able to know. Great. First I accidentally soul-bond with Nico and learn a lot more than I should, and now I'm doing the same to Hazel. Great first impression I'm making on my sibling. Well I couldn't do anything now, so I just let the world tell the story of Hazel to me.

The day had been full of ups and downs. Kids at school had teased her about her mother, calling her a witch and a lot of other names. That had been going on for a long time, of course, but it was getting worse. Rumors were spreading about Hazel's curse. The school was called St. Agnes Academy for Colored Children and Indians, and name that hadn't changed in a hundred years.

A  _very_  subtle name. In modern times, it was hard to believe humans had been so naive and cruel as to segregate people in such a way, but like it or not, it was the truth. It had happened within the last century too, and considering we were in the 21st century and this was the 20th, and considering the gods have existed for some five millennia, around fifty years seemed pretty small. Such a short time before and the world had changed so much.

Just like its name, the place masked a whole lot of cruelty under a thin veneer of kindness. Hazel didn't understand how other black kids could be so mean. They should've known better, since they themselves had to put up with name-calling all the time. But they yelled at her and stole her lunch, always asking for those famous jewels: " _Where's those cursed diamonds, girl? Gimme some or I'll hurt you!_ " They pushed her away at the water fountain, and threw rocks at her if she tried to approach them on the playground. But despite how horrible they were, Hazel never gave them diamonds or gold. She didn't hate anyone  _that_  much. Besides, she had one friend - Sammy - and that was enough.

Memories of Sammy flooded by mine through Hazel, and I saw his face. Hey, that looked a lot like…and he  _acted_  a lot like…

Sammy liked to joke that he was the perfect St. Agnes student. He was Mexican American, so he considered himself colored  _and_  Indian. " _They should give me a_ double _scholarship,_ " He'd say. He wasn't big or strong, but he had a crazy smile and he made Hazel laugh.

Yeah, that definitely seemed like Leo.

That afternoon, he'd taken her to the stables where he worked as a groom. It was a "whites only" riding club, of course, but it was closed on weekdays, and with the war on, there was talk that the club might have to shut down completely until the Japanese were whipped and the soldiers came back home.

Well that was mean, and considering my best friend was Japanese…yeah. It was once again hard to believe that in current times, wars against Japan seemed implausible.

Sammy could usually sneak Hazel in to help take care of the horses. Once in a while, they'd go riding. Hazel absolutely adored horses. They seemed to be the only living things that weren't scared of her. People hated her, cats hissed, dogs growled, and even the stupid hamster in Miss Finley's classroom squeaked in terror when she gave it a carrot. But horses didn't mind. When she was in the saddle, she could ride so fast that there was no chance of gemstones cropping up in her wake. She almost felt free of her curse. That afternoon, she'd taken out a tan roan stallion with a gorgeous black mane. She galloped into the fields so swiftly, she left Sammy behind, and by the time he'd caught up, he and his horse were both winded.

" _What are you running from?_ " He laughed. " _I'm not that ugly, am I?_ "

Yep, definitely Leo, and definitely the kind of guy I could appreciate.

It was too cold for a picnic, but they'd had one anyway, sitting under a magnolia tree with the horses tethered to a split-rail fence. Sammy had brought her a cupcake with a birthday candle, which had gotten smashed on the ride, but was still the sweetest thing Hazel had ever seen. They broke it in half and shared it. Sammy talked about the war, wishing he were old enough to go. He asked Hazel if she would write him letters if he were a soldier going overseas.

" _Course, dummy,_ " Hazel had said. He grinned, and then, as if by sudden impulse, he lurched forward and kissed her on the cheek.

" _Happy birthday, Hazel._ " It wasn't much. Just one kiss, and not even on the lips, but it was enough for Hazel to feel like she was floating. She hardly remembered the ride back to the stables, or telling Sammy goodbye. He said, " _See you tomorrow_ ," like he always did. But Hazel would never see him again.

By the time she got back to the French Quarter, it was getting dark. As she approached her home, her warm feeling faded, replaced by dread. Hazel and her mother - Queen Marie, as she liked to be called - lived in an old apartment above a jazz club. Despite the beginning of the war, there was a festive mood in the air. New recruits would roam the streets, laughing and talking about fighting the Japanese. They'd get tattoos in the parlors or propose to their sweethearts right on the sidewalk. Some would go upstairs to Hazel's mother to have their fortunes read or to buy charms from Marie Levesque, the famous  _gris-gris_  queen.

" _Did you hear?_ " One would say. " _Two bits for this good-luck charm. I took it to a guy I know, and he says it's a real silver nugget. Worth twenty dollars! That voodoo woman is crazy!_ "

For a while, that kind of talk brought Queen Marie a lot of business. Hazel's curse had started out slowly. At first, it seemed like a blessing. The precious stones and gold only appeared once in a while, never in huge quantities. Queen Marie paid her bills. They ate steak for dinner once a week. Hazel even got a new dress. But then stories had started spreading. The locals began to realize how many horrible things happened to people who bought those good-luck charms or got paid with Queen Marie's treasure. Charlie Gasceaux lost his arm in a harvester while wearing a gold bracelet. Mr. Henry at the general store dropped dead from a heart attack after Queen Marie settled her tab with a ruby. Folks started whispering about Hazel - how she could find cursed jewels just by walking down the street. These days only out-of-towners came to visit her mother, and not so many of them either. Hazel's mom had become short-tempered. She gave Hazel resentful looks.

How horrible it must've been for her, living in those times, being called a witch, and not understanding her own powers. Even her own mother wasn't there for her, and Hazel seemed alone in the world, Sammy the only one left that allowed her to stay sane. At least in the modern world, Audrey, Emily, Zy and I were able to keep our powers a secret since we knew how to control them. I wasn't turning things to ash by accident everywhere I went, and Audrey wasn't making water fountains and faucets explode if she walked too close. Emily, well, she was Emily, so there wasn't much to keep hidden.

Hazel climbed the stairs as quietly as she could, in case her mother had a customer. In the club downstairs, the band was tuning their instruments. The bakery next door had started making beignet for tomorrow morning, filling the stairwell with the smell of melting butter. When she got to the top, Hazel thought she heard two voices inside the apartment, but when she peeked into the parlor, her mother was sitting alone at the séance table, her eyes closed as if in a trance. Hazel had seen her that way many times, pretending to talk to spirits for her clients - but not ever when she was by herself.

Queen Marie had always told Hazel her  _gris-gris_  was "bunk and hokum." She didn't really believe in charms or fortune telling or ghosts. She was just a performer, like a singer or actress, doing a show for money. But Hazel knew her mother  _did_  believe in some magic. Hazel's curse wasn't hokum. Queen Marie just didn't want to think it was her fault - that somehow she had made Hazel the way she was.

" _It was your blasted father,_ " Queen Marie would grumble in her darker moods. " _Coming here in his fancy silver-and-black suit. The one time I_ actually _summon a spirit, and what do I get? Fulfills my wish and ruins my life. I should've been a_ real _queen. It's_ his _fault you turned out this way._ " She would never explain what she meant, and Hazel had learned not to ask about her father. It just made her mother angrier.

As Hazel watched, Queen Marie muttered something to herself. Her face was calm and relaxed, and Hazel was struck by how beautiful she looked without her scowl and the creases in her brow. She had a lush mane of gold-brown hair like Hazel's, and the same dark complexion, brown as a roasted coffee bean. She wasn't wearing the fancy saffron robes or gold bangles she wore to impress clients - just a simple white dress. Still, she had a regal air, sitting straight and dignified in her gilded chair as if she really were a queen.

"You'll be safe there," She murmured. "Far from the gods." Hazel stifled a scream as she realized the voice coming out of her mother's mouth wasn't hers. It sounded like an older woman's, the tone soft and soothing, but also commanding - like a hypnotist giving orders.

Gaea, I realized. Hazel's mother resented Pluto for giving Hazel a curse of her jewels when she wished to become a queen. Instead, she got a fake title of queen, and Hazel's jewels gave misfortune to those who received them, and gave Marie a bad reputation, sending them into near homelessness and little to no income. Marie would hate the gods now, believing that they were all liars and cheaters when it came to granting wishes or making promises. Pluto had only done the best he could, because though he was a god, he couldn't bend reality to his will or anything. Not even Zeus could do that. But now Marie would take it the wrong way, and that would convince her to follow Gaea's orders.

Queen Marie tensed. She grimaced in her trance, but then spoke in her normal voice: "It's too far. Too cold. Too dangerous. He told me not to."

The other voice responded: "What has he ever done for you? He gave you a poisoned child! But we can use her gift for good. We can strike back at the gods. You will be under my protection in the north, far from the gods' domain. I'll make my son your protector. You'll live like a queen at last." Queen Marie winced.

"But what about Hazel…" Then her face contorted into a sneer. Both voices spoke in unison, as if they'd found something to agree on.

"A poisoned child."

With that, Hazel fled down the stairs, her pulse racing. At the bottom, she ran into a man in a dark suit. He gripped her shoulders with strong, cold fingers. "Easy, child," He said. Hazel noticed the silver skull ring on his finger, then the strange fabric of his suit. In the shadows, the solid black wool seemed to shift and boil, forming images of faces on agony, as if lost souls were trying to escape from the folds of his clothes. His tie was black with platinum stripes, his shirt tombstone gray, his skin so white it looked almost blue, like cold milk, he had a flap of greasy black hair, a smile that seemed kind enough, but eyes fiery and angry, fill of mad power.

There were subtle differences, but that was definitely my father. Well, sort of.

Hazel tried to pull away, but even when the man let go without a fight, she couldn't bring herself to move. His eyes froze her in place.

"Hazel Levesque," He said in a melancholy voice. "You've grown." Hazel started to tremble. At the base of the stairs, the cement stoop cracked under the man's feet, and a glittering stone popped up from the concrete like the earth had spit out a watermelon seed. Pluto looked down to it (gonna be hard getting used to calling my dad A: a planet in the solar system, that was removed for some odd reason, and B: the dog from Mickey Mouse), unsurprised before bending down to pick it up.

"Don't!" Hazel shouted. "It's cursed!" He picked up the stone, a perfectly formed emerald.

"Yes, it is. But not to me. So beautiful…worth more than this building, I imagine." He slipped the emerald in his pocket. "I'm sorry for your fate, child. I imagine you hate me." Hazel didn't understand, hearing the sadness in Pluto's voice. Then, it hit her and her eyes widened: a spirit in silver and black, who'd fulfilled her mother's wishes and ruined her life.

"You? You're my…?" He cupped his hand under her chin.

"I am Pluto. Life is never easy for my children, but you have a special burden. Now that you're thirteen, we must make provisions-" Hazel pushed his hand away.

"You  _did_  this to me?! You cursed me and my mother?! You left us alone?!" Her eyes stung with tears, seeing the rich white man in a suit that only showed up once she was thirteen that could only say he was sorry. In a world that she lived in, he was the exact opposite of her and her mother, and he could've helped them. "You're evil! You ruined our lives!" Pluto's eyes narrowed.

"What has your mother told you, Hazel? Has she never explained her wish? Or told you why you were born under a curse?" Hazel was too angry to speak, but Pluto read the answers from her face. "No…" He sighed. "I suppose she wouldn't. Much easier to blame me."

"Why do you mean?" He sighed again.

"Poor child. You were born too soon. I cannot see your future clearly, but someday you will find your place. A descendant of Neptune will wash away your curse and give you peace. I fear, though, that is not for many years…" Hazel tried to comprehend what he was saying, but she didn't follow. Before she could respond, Pluto held out his hand and a sketchpad and a box of colored pencils appeared in his palm. "I understand you enjoy horseback riding. These are for your art. As for the horse…" His eyes gleamed. "That, you'll have to manage yourself. Now I must speak with your mother. Happy birthday, Hazel." He turned and headed up the stairs - just like that, as if he'd checked Hazel off his "to do" list and had already forgotten her.  _Happy birthday. Go draw a picture. See you in another thirteen years_.

Personally, I found that pretty gracious of Pluto/Hades. When Hades first showed himself to me…well, it hadn't been that interesting. I didn't really want too much attention from Hades, and I was fine with him giving me my space, considering I'd grown up an only child and enjoyed my me time, but it's not like he gave me a present (my lance from my blessing didn't count since we're talking about when we'd met).

Hazel was stunned, angry, confused, and paralyzed at the base of the steps. She wanted to throw down the colored pencils and stomp on them. She wanted to charge after Pluto and kick him. She wanted to run away, find Sammy, steal a horse, leave town and never come back. But she didn't do any of those things. Above her, the apartment door opened, and Pluto stepped inside. Hazel was still shivering from her father's cold touch, but she crept up the stairs to see what he could do. What would he say to Queen Marie? Who would speak back - her mother or that other awful voice? When Hazel reached the doorway, she heard arguing and peeked her head in. Her mother seemed to be back to normal - screaming and angry, throwing things around the parlor while Pluto tried to reason with her.

"Marie, it's insanity," He was saying. "You'll be far beyond my power to protect you."

"Protect me?! When have you  _ever_  protected me?!" Pluto's dark suit shimmered, the same way they did on Hades's clothes when he was getting agitated.

"You have no idea. I've kept you alive, you and the child. My enemies are everywhere among gods and men. Now with the war on, it will only get worse. You  _must_  stay where I can-"

"The police think I'm a murderer! My clients want to hang me as a witch! And Hazel, her curse is getting worse! Your  _protection_  is killing us!" Pluto spread his hands in a pleading gesture.

Clearly, he did care for her and wanted her safe. He was the kind of god that didn't fall in love a lot, especially with the agreement that the Great Three could no longer have children, but he was the kind of god that when he fell in love, it wasn't just for a moment and then he left, never remembering names or looking out for their kids. He wanted the protect Marie and Hazel, but it was just the time zone they were born in that did this to them. It was Marie's wish for jewels that got her Hazel's curse. This was Pluto we were talking about, and his gems weren't just going to come for free. They brought misfortune and death, as the riches of the earth from a god of death would be expected to. He couldn't give Marie what she'd imagined and dreamed of, and now she was blaming him for it. My mom had a better life with Hades based on the times they'd lived in, but in return, it was cut short long before I'd made it to Hazel's age.

"Marie, please-"

"No!" Queen Marie turned to the closet, pulled out a leather valise, and threw it on the table. "We're leaving! You can keep your protection! We're going north!"

"Marie, it's a trap. Whoever's whispering in your ear, whoever's turning you against me-"

" _You_  turned me against you!" She picked up a porcelain vase and threw it at him. It shattered on the floor and precious stones spilled everywhere - emeralds, rubies, diamonds. Hazel's entire collection.

"You won't survive. If you go north, you'll both die. I can foresee that clearly."

"Get out!" Both Hazel and I wished he would stay and argue, but I knew that Hades was the kind of person that was so respectful and kind that he'd would leave without a fight, and so too was Pluto. Hazel's father slashed his hand across the air and dissolved into shadows. Queen Marie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, Hazel fearing the strange voice might posses her again. But when she spoke, she was her regular self.

"Hazel," She snapped. "Come out from behind that door." Trembling, Hazel obeyed, clutching the sketchpad and colored pencils to her chest. Her mother studied her like she was a bitter disappointment.  _A poisoned child_ , the voices had said. "Pack a bag. We're moving."

"Wh-Where?"

"Alaska. You're going to make yourself useful. We're going to start a new life." The way her mother said that…it sounded as if they were going to create a "new life" for someone else - some _thing_  else.

"What did Pluto mean? Is he really my father? He said you made a wish-"

"Go to your room! Pack!" Hazel fled, and then suddenly I was ripped back to the present.

"Veon, Hazel." Nico was shaking us lightly. "Hazel. You did it again." Hazel blinked, and I looked around to try and gather my bearings. We were still sitting on the roof of Pluto's shrine, but the sun was lower in the sky. More diamonds had sprung around Hazel, and her eyes stung from crying.

"S-sorry," Hazel murmured.

"Don't be," Nico said. "Where were you?"

"My mother's apartment. The day we moved." Nico nodded, understanding her history better than most could, being a kid from the 1940s. He'd been born only a few years after Hazel, maybe 1932 while Hazel was around 1928. He'd been locked away in a magic hotel for decades, while Hazel's story…well, she'd come a different route. Nico's memories helped me fill in the pieces that I hadn't been shown in Hazel's dream, even if the exact details weren't there.

"You have to work on controlling those memories," Nico warned. "If a flashback like that happens when you're in combat-"

"I know, I'm trying." Nico took her hand and squeezed it.

"It's okay. I think it's a side effect from…you know, your time in the Underworld. Hopefully it'll get easier."

"Quite possibly these…blackouts, are trying to tell you something," I suggested. "Nothing in my entire demigod life has been a coincidence and I'd bet my lance that these visions or memories are holding something important within them, and they're happening for a reason. And by the way, this is a  _very_  nice lance we're talking about, so that means I'm serious." Hazel looked down.

"I can't go north again," She said. "Nico, if I have to go back to where it happened-"

"You'll be fine," Nico promised. "You'll have friends this time. Percy Jackson - he's got a role to play in this. You can sense that, can't you? He's a good person to have by your side." Pluto had said something about a descendant of Neptune washing away her curse and giving her peace. Did that mean Percy?

"Where did he come from?" She asked. "Why do the ghosts call him Greek?" Nico's eyes met mine and we had a silent debate. Before we could respond, horns blew across the river. The legionnaires were gathering for evening muster.

"We'd better get down there," I said. "My first time participating in these "war games" and I believe it's going to be interesting."


	8. Joining the Legion

First Person: Zytaveon

I jumped off the roof of the shrine, instantly floating thanks to my lance, allowing me flight even when it was sheathed to a cuff on my wrist. "Oh, right." I grabbed Nico and Hazel's arms and pulled them off the shrine roof, but they were pretty heavy and my lance couldn't support their weight when sheathed. I made sure to get them to the ground with a slow fall, before setting down and deciding to join them in running.

Apparently, the Fifth Cohort had the nicest centurions in the camp, but even  _they_  would have to punish Hazel if she was tardy. Roman punishments were harsh: scrubbing the streets with a toothbrush, cleaning the bull pens at the coliseum, getting sewn inside a sack full of angry weasels and dumped into the Little Tiber…yeah, the options weren't great. Nico's memories provided me with full details on the camp, which I was grateful for, as it would save a lot of time and explaining. I didn't like being in the dark, funnily enough. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Suddenly a gold bar popped out of the ground just in time for Hazel's foot to hit it, causing her to trip. Nico reached to catch her, but his reactions were too slow. I grabbed her on instinct without even thinking about it, and pulled her back to her feet, though not without tugging her a bit harshly because of her momentum and weight adding to the force of her fall that I had to counter.

"Sorry, you okay?" I asked. She nodded, but then Nico kneeled down to reach for the bar of gold.

"Don't!" Hazel warned, and Nico froze, realizing his mistake.

"Right. Sorry. It's just…jeez, that thing is  _huge_." I reached down and grabbed the bar of gold.

"Don't worry, I'm immune," I said before Hazel could begin chiding me too. It was the size of a loaf of bread, stamped with a serial number and the words  **U.S. TREASURY**.

"How in Tartarus-?"

"I don't know," Hazel said. "It could've been buried there by robbers or dropped off a wagon a hundred years ago. Maybe it migrated from the nearest bank vault. Whatever's in the ground, anywhere close to me - it just pops up. And the more valuable is it-"

"The more dangerous it is," I finished.

"What do we do with it?" Nico asked. "Should we cover it? If the fauns find it…"

"It  _should_  sink back underground after I leave…eventually…" Hazel said, clearly imagining what could happen to the fauns if they did find this thing. I stood and lifted the heavy bar, slightly using my powers to do so. I then let it float before stepping back and having it hover. I pointed at it and then the gold bar began glowing with heat.

"Can't very well burry it in this form," I muttered. I clenched a fist and the gold bent, changing shape effortlessly. I condensed it into a nugget of gold before kneeling and slamming my fist into the ground. The million-dollar boulder slammed into the earth, sinking so deep, nothing was left but a scar of fresh dirt. I stood straight again, feeling a slight wave of fatigue, but getting over it quickly.

"That was…terrifying," Nico muttered.

"You and I really have to spend more time together," I said. "Seriously, I think both of us have seen things much more terrifying." Inside the camp, horns blew again. The cohorts would be starting to call roll, and after learning of the punishments for tardiness, I had no desire to be the reason Hazel was late. I unsheathed my lance and grabbed Hazel's hand. Nico instantly grabbed the lance, seeing my plan, and we took off, hovering just above the ground but speeding forward as fast as the lance could take us.

The legion was a sight to behold, at least compared to Camp Half-Blood. I'd seen armies in the Underworld, a couple actually under my command, though I really didn't have much use for them so far. The first four cohorts, each forty kids strong, stood in rows in front of their barracks on either side of the Via Praetoria. The Fifth Cohort assembled at the very end, in front of the principia, since their barracks were tucked in the back corner of camp next to the stables and the latrines. Man, the Fifth Cohort had it bad. People here should rally around and help the Fifth Cohort, not segregate them further. The Fifth Cohort's position made it so that we would have to go right down the middle of the legion in order to reach her place.

The campers were dressed for war, their polished chain mail and greaves gleaming over their purple T-shirts and jeans. Sword-and-skull designs decorated their helmets, and even their leather combat boots looked ferocious with their iron cleats, great for marching through mud or stomping on faces. In front of the legionnaires, like a line of giant dominoes, stood their red and gold shields, each the size of a refrigerator door. Every legionnaire carried a harpoon-like spear called a pilum, a gladius, a dagger, and about a hundred pounds of other equipment. If you were out of shape when you came to the legion, you didn't stay that way for long; just walking around in your armor must've been a full-body work out.

I lowered us to the ground and all three of us jogged down the street as everyone was coming to attention, so our entrance was  _really_  obvious, if the three kids flying at top speed weren't odd enough. Our footsteps echoed on the stones, and I caught Octavian, who I now knew was head of the First Cohort, looking at us, looking smug in his plumed centurion's helmet with a dozen medals pinned on his chest. I glared at him, and wished I'd kept the gold boulder to hit him in the face with it. I wasn't gonna let that man blackmail Hazel with information of her past, and I hoped Zyanya wouldn't either, since she held a higher rank than him. Maybe she had the right to tell him to shut up, and prevent him from becoming praetor. We ran past said goddess along with Reyna, the latter of the two cantering back and forth on per pegasus Scipio - nicknamed Skippy because he was the color of peanut butter - her two metal dogs trotting at her side and her purple officer's cape billowing behind her.

Zy had gotten changed into some Roman armor, which I never thought I'd ever see her in, and her hair was pulled up in a pony tail. She wore a battle uniform with a skirt that went down to her knees and leather straps wrapped around her upper arms. She had purple colored fabric, with golden armor on her shoulders, chest, and her skirt had armor falling over in vertical strips like the classic Roman warrior you'd see in books, along with a purple cape similar to Reyna's, a belt holding a bag at her right hip, her two handguns behind her, and her pure white sword at her left hip. On her wrists were her normal cuffs, the left one being a sheathed shield and the right one being something she had yet to reveal, and her fingerless gloves remained. She had tight silver-gray combat boots that looked similar to Lightning's boots from Final Fantasy XIII, not to mention she was currently sitting on Odin in gestalt mode from that same game. Seriously, she  _still_  believed thirteen was better than ten, and now she had to use her powers to boast about it. Either way, though, she looked like a leader, and I would be terrified if I walked onto the battlefield to see all these kids under her control, not to mention with Reyna by her side.

"Hazel Levesque," Reyna called. "So glad you could join us." I knew Reyna couldn't show favoritism to troops, and had to be hard on them in order to keep them in line, but Hazel didn't need that kind of crap right now, even if there was nothing to be done. Hazel knew better than to respond to Reyna, understanding Reyna's actions as well, and simply rushed to her position. She was missing most of her equipment, and as it turns out, I can only change my own outfit, not someone else's, but she hurried to her place in line next to Frank and stood at attention. Their lead centurion, a big seventeen-year old guy named Dakota, was just calling her name - the last one on the roll.

"Present!" She squeaked. Thank the gods. She wasn't technically late. Nico and I ran over to join Percy, Emily and Audrey. Percy had been given fresh clothes, and his hair was oddly enough still wet from the baths. Audrey and Emily had on their same clothes, since the gorgon thing hadn't ruined them  _that_  much (and because I doubt they wanted to accept things from the Romans quite yet) and their hair was dry, but that was probably thanks to Audrey. Percy looked pretty uncomfortable, and Emily was nudging him, clearly trying to subtly help. Granted, we  _were_  about to be introduced to two hundred heavily armed kids. Which reminded me that we hadn't been accepted into Camp Jupiter, not yet. Hopefully Zy had it covered. The Lares were the last ones to fall in, their purple forms flickering as they jockeyed for their places. They apparently had an annoying habit of standing halfway inside living people, so that their ranks looked like a blurry photograph, but finally the centurions got them sorted out.

"Colors!" Octavian shouted. The standard-bearers stepped forward. They wore lion-skin capes and held poles decorated with each cohort's emblems. The last to present his standard was Jacob, the legion's eagle bearer, but he only held a long pole with nothing on top. The legion's eagle had been stolen, as Nico's memories were telling me. The job was supposed to be a big honor, but Jacob obviously hated it. Reyna insisted on following tradition, but every time the eagle-less pole was raised, there was embarrassment rippling across the legion. I saw Emily tense next to me, and realized she must be feeling some two hundred kids all feeling embarrassed, ashamed, angry, and despairing. Reyna brought her pegasus to a halt.

"Romans!" She announced. "You've probably heard about the incursion today. Two gorgons were swept away and destroyed by these newcomers, Percy Jackson, Audrey Mavepo, Zytaveon Kanazoi, and Emily Hezesto." Man, the only one of us that had a regular last name was Percy. Huh. We rarely ever used each other's last names unless things were serious, and I rarely ever heard my full name aloud either. "Zyanya and Juno guided them here, proclaiming Percy and Audrey children of Neptune, Emily a daughter of Venus, and Zytaveon a son of Pluto." The kids in the back rows craned their necks to see us, and Percy raised his hand, clearly unhappy with the attention.

"Hi," He said nervously. Emily waved too, a little more confident.

"Hello!"

"Yo," Audrey said, giving a two finger salute. I just nodded, used to being the center of attention in front of large audiences when I was back in the Underworld.

"They seek to join the legion," Reyna continued. "What do the auguries say?"

"I have read the entrails!" Octavian announced, as though he'd killed a lion with his bare hands rather than ripping up a stuffed panda pillow. "The auguries are favorable. They are qualified to serve!"

The campers gave a unified shout: " _Ave! Hail!_ " Frank was a little late with his "ave," so it came out as a high-pitched echo, and the other legionnaires snickered. Emily looked around, locating each and every one of them and getting them to shut up with just a look. Sometimes that girl could be scary. Reyna motioned the senior officers forward - one from each cohort. Octavian, as the most senior centurion, turned to us.

"Recruits, do you have credentials? Letters of reference?" Nico's memories explained that a lot of kids brought letters from older demigods in the outside world, adults who were veterans of the camp. Some recruits had rich and famous sponsors, some were third or fourth generations campers. A good letter could get you a position in the better cohorts, sometimes even special jobs like legion messenger, which made you exempt from the grunt work like digging ditches or conjugating Latin verbs. Not that I planned to stay at the camp as a regular member for long enough to have said job, but this was routine.

"Letters? Um, no," Percy said, and Octavian wrinkled his nose. Zyanya and freaking  _Juno_  dropped us off personally, what more did he need? But apparently Octavian's family had been sending kids to camp for over a century, and he loved reminding recruits that they were less important than he was.

"No letters," Octavian said regretfully. "Will any legionnaires stand for them?" Zyanya looked ready to speak, but was interrupted.

"I will!" Frank shouted, stepping forward. "They saved my life!" Immediately there were shouts of protest from the other cohorts. Zyanya raised her hand, and then closed her fingers into a fist, everyone's voices instantly silenced at the same time.

"Thank you," Reyna said. "Frank Zhang, for the second time today, I remind you that you are on probatio. Your godly parent has not even claimed you yet. You're not eligible to stand for another camper until you've earned your first stripe." Frank looked like he might die of embarrassment, and Emily stared over, concentrating on something.

"What Frank means is that they saved  _both_  our lives," Hazel said, stepping out of line. "I am a full member of the legion. I will stand for them."

"I will second her," Zyanya said. "Know that I grant my blessing for them and support Hazel Levesque." Frank gave Hazel a grateful look, but the campers started to mutter. Hazel was barely eligible, having only gotten her stripe a few weeks ago, and the "act of valor" that earned it for her seemed to have mostly been an accident. Besides, as a daughter of Pluto and a member of the disgraced Fifth Cohort, she must've felt she wasn't doing much for us. Please, bring on the challenge. We'll show them how awesome an addition to the Fifth Cohort we can be.

Reyna looked to Zy, who kept a stern face as in saying, "you wanna try and counter me?" and then Reyna turned to Octavian, who smiled and shrugged like the idea amused him. Putting us in the Fifth would make him less of a threat to him, and why not keep all his enemies in one place? Oh, he had no idea.

"Very well," Reyna said. "Hazel Levesque, Zyanya Chikara, you may stand for the recruits. Does the Fifth Cohort accept them?" The other cohorts started coughing, trying not to laugh.

"If you all cannot have the decency to be professionals then I will ask you to leave!" Zyanya bellowed and everyone instantly stood on attention, freezing with looks of fear on their faces. There's the Zyanya I've been looking for. "Now, without further interruptions, what does the Fifth Cohort say?" Frank pounded his shield against the ground, and the other members of the Fifth followed his lead, though they didn't seem very excited. Their centurions, Dakota and Gwen, exchanged pained looks.

"My cohort has spoken," Dakota said. "We accept the recruits." Reyna looked to us with pity.

"Congratulations, Percy Jackson, Audrey Mavepo, Zytaveon Kanazoi, and Emily Hezesto. You stand on probatio. You will be given tablets with your names and cohort. In one year's time or as soon as you complete an act of valor, you will become full members of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata. Serve Rome, obey the rules of the legion, and defend the camp with honor. Senatus Populusque Romanus!" The rest of the legion echoed the Latin cheer. Oh, so  _that's_  what SPQR stood for…Senate and the People Roman (or something by those lines). Reyna wheeled her pegasus away like she was glad to be done with us.

"Centurions," Reyna said. "You and your troops have one hour for dinner. Then we will meet on the Field of Mars. The First and Second Cohorts will defend. The Third, Fourth, and Fifth will attack. Good fortune!" A bigger cheer went up - for the war games and for dinner. Had to admit, the war games sounded like capture the flag back at Camp Half-Blood, which was  _always_  a party. The cohorts broke ranks and ran for the mess hall. One of the guards gave us our probatio nameplates. Percy strung his on his leather necklace from Camp Half-Blood while Audrey, Emily and I slipped ours in our pockets with lack of a better place to put them. We made our way over to Hazel with Nico, and Zy rode over on Odin as well.

"Good job, sis," Nico said, beaming at her. "That took guts, standing for them." Hm, Nico had never called her sis before, maybe because it brought back memories of Bianca.

"Thank you, Hazel," Emily said. "That really was awesome. We won't let you down."

"So, does that mean we're in the Fifth Cohort?" Audrey asked. "Let's show 'em we mean business. These war games are gonna be fun. Like capture the flag, but more war-y."

"Um, what exactly does it mean - your standing for us?" Percy asked.

"I guarantee your good behavior," Hazel explained. "I teach you the rules, answer your questions, make sure you don't disgrace the legion."

"And…if we do something wrong?"

"Then I get killed along with you. Hungry? Let's eat."


	9. Dinner Talks

First Person: Zytaveon

"You were just showing off with Odin," I was saying to Zy.

"I never said I wasn't," She replied, taking a bite of a sandwich. "I needed a proper steed to ride as a sign of my status, and he was the one I trusted the most. Besides, he's a good fighter, should a fight have occurred."

"What about Ixion?"

"He's not exactly a mountable horse, in case you haven't noticed. He's purely for battle. Come on, you have to admit Odin was the best option."

"Never."

"If you wanna complain about who I summon, why don't you try summoning your own make-believe characters, you stubborn mule."

"No, I'm a stubborn Soul King."

"Same difference."

"Hey!" She took a French fry off my plate and threw it at my face. It wasn't like this place wasn't a mess already. Invisible wind spirits - aurae - waited on the campers and seemed to know exactly what everyone wanted. They blew plates and cups around so quickly, the mess hall looked like a delicious hurricane. If you got up too fast, you were likely to get bean-ed by beans or potted by a pot roast. I didn't know if Zy should be sitting with the Fifth Cohort, but it seemed she could sit wherever she wanted, and people were sometimes looking our way in jealously when they saw her over here.

She had a sandwich that looked to have come from Subway, along with a glass full of lemonade in front of her, while I basically had McDonald's fries, coke and a burger. Hazel had shrimp gumbo next to me, Frank had fish and chips, Emily had popcorn chicken, Audrey had pasta, and Percy had a cheeseburger and a strange-looking soda that was bright blue.

"This makes me happy," He said. "I don't know why…but it does." Even in memory loss, Percy still loves blue food. Just for a moment, one of the aurae became visible - an elfin girl in a while silk dress. She giggled as she topped off Percy's glass, then disappeared in a gust. Audrey waved her hand and stole some of Percy's soda to drink the snake of liquid.

"Nope, don't see what's so special about it. Is that Gatorade?" He shrugged, not knowing. The mess hall was noisy tonight, laughter echoing off the walls. War banners rustled from cedar ceiling beams as aurae blew back and forth, keeping everyone's plates full. The campers dined Roman style, sitting on couches around low tables. Kids were constantly getting up and trading places, spreading rumors about who liked whom and all other gossip. It reminded me of Camp Half-Blood again.

As usual, the Fifth Cohort took the place of  _least_  honor, but really, who cared about honor? Back and Camp Half-Blood, I was fine just sitting alone at the Hades table, or with just my small group of friends. Too many people and I started to get tired of talking to them all, and our group understood that the mess hall was for eating, not just talking. The Fifth Cohort's tables were at the back of the dining hall, next to the kitchen. All together, we had me, Zy, Percy, Audrey, Emily, Frank, Hazel, Nico, and Dakota, who seemed to be there because he felt obligated to welcome the new recruits. Dakota reclined glumly on his couch, mixing sugar into his drink and chugging it. He was a beefy guy with curly black hair and eyes that didn't quite line up straight.

"So," He said before burping and waving his goblet. "Welcome to the Percy, party." He frowned. "Party, Percy. Whatever."

"Um, thanks," Percy said, but he was more focused on Nico. "I was wondering if we could talk, you know…about where I might have seen you before."

"Sure," Nico said a little too quickly.

"But Nico spends a lot of time with me in the Underworld," I added. "So unless he's met you there somehow-" Dakota belched.

"Ambassador from Pluto, they call him." Another name for Nico? Man, he was a Ghost King  _and_  an ambassador. "Reyna's never sure what to do with this guy when he visits. You should have seen her face when he showed up with Hazel, asking Reyna to take her in. Um, no offense."

"None taken," Nico said, relieved for a change of topic. "Dakota was really helpful, standing for Hazel." Dakota blushed.

"Yeah, well…she seemed like a good kid. Turned out I was right. Last month, when she saved me from, uh, you know."

"Oh, man!" Frank said, looking up from his fish and chips. "You guys should've seen her! That's how Hazel got her stripe. The unicorns decided to stampede-"

"It was nothing," Hazel said.

"Nothing? Dakota would've gotten trampled! You stood right in front of them and shooed them away, saved his hide. I've never seen anything like it." Hazel looked embarrassed. According to what Nico's memories can tell me, Hazel had actually used the precious metals - silver and gold - that the unicorns horns were made of to steer them aside and guide them back to their stables. That had gotten her a full place in the legion, but also started rumors about her powers that brought back memories of the old days. Everyone at camp had powers, so I wondered why Hazel was afraid to reveal hers. Sure, the gems she summoned were somehow cursed, but that should be more of a reason to tell and make sure people didn't take them. Then again, her segregation from the past might be repeated here in the present, people staying away from her or blaming her for the curses her gems bring, blaming her for accidents that weren't her fault at all. Being from a different time period, I couldn't blame her for wanting to avoid that. Being in the Fifth Cohort and treated like a looser was enough, but she didn't need any more rumors going around about her.

"Did you and Nico grow up together?" Percy asked.

"No," Nico said. "I found out that Hazel was my sister only recently. Same thing with Veon. She's from New Orleans and he's from Colorado. He chose to stay and try to live a normal life for a while, then he even went to work in the Underworld, but he finally said he was ready to give this camp a try. That's why he's a couple years older than normal." That was true, of course, but not the whole truth. Nico let people think he'd stumbled upon Hazel in modern New Orleans and brought her to camp. Easier telling them that then the real story. The part with me involved was sort of true, as Nico had only discovered me recently, but a little more recently than he made the story sound. I had actually been taken to Camp Half-Blood right after Nico and I had first met, then worked in the Underworld, and then came here. The story made it sound like Nico had found out about me when I'd first discovered my powers, but then didn't take me to camp until now.

Hazel was doing a pretty good job passing as a modern girl so far, but maybe because this camp didn't exactly fit the definition of modern, with the old fashion style of war. There were little to no guns here, only swords, shields, maces, bows, etc, and no electronics because they attracted monsters and demigod powers tended to make them go haywire. Nico's memories told me of a time when Hazel had first went on furlough to Berkeley, she'd nearly had a stroke. There were televisions, computers, iPods, the internet, and so much more that had happened within 60 years. Suddenly it made me realize how normal the whole world of ghosts, unicorns and gods really could be compared to the hectic ways of the current society.

"There aren't many of us," Nico was saying about children of Pluto. "So we have to stick together. When I found Hazel-"

"You have other sisters?" Percy asked, as though he knew the answer. He did, in his taken memories, that is.

"One," Nico admitted. "But she died. I saw her spirit a few times in the Underworld, except the last time I went down there…" To bring her back, I knew he was going to say, but refrained from doing so. "She was gone. She used to be in Elysium - like the Underworld paradise - but she chose to be reborn into a new life. Now I'll never see her again. I was just lucky to find Hazel…in New Orleans, I mean." Dakota grunted.

"Unless you believe the rumors," He said. "Not saying that I do."

"Rumors?" Percy asked.

"Hazel!" Someone shouted, and we looked to see Don the faun working his way towards our table, grinning at everybody, sneaking foods off plates, and pointing to campers: "Hey! Call me!" A flying pizza smacked him in the head, and he disappeared behind a couch. Then he popped up, still grinning, and made his way over. "My favorite girl!" He smelled like a wet goat wrapped in old cheese. He leaned over our couches and checked out our food. "Hey, new girl. You gonna eat that?"

"Uh, no, sure, you can have it," Emily said. It wasn't very rare that Emily gave away her food, quite the contrary. She gave it away if she hadn't eaten it no matter who asked. It was usually Zy - or Lucy, rather - that took most of her lunch back when we were in high school, along with Mathew, Owen and Kaleb, but whatever.

"Aren't fauns vegetarian?" Audrey asked.

"Not the food, man, the plate."

"Uh…okay." He sniffed Percy's hair, who was sitting next to Audrey. "Hey…what's that smell?"

"Don!" Hazel scolded. "Don't be rude!"

"No, man, I just-" Suddenly Vitellius shimmered into existence, standing half embedded in Frank's couch.

"Fauns eating in the dining hall! What are we coming to? Centurion Dakota, do your duty!"

"I am," Dakota grumbled into his goblet. "I'm having dinner!" Don was still sniffing around Percy.

"Man, you've got an empathy link with a faun!"

"A what?" Percy asked, leaning away.

"An empathy link! It's real faint, like somebody's suppressed it, but-"

"Hey, I know what!" I interrupted, standing. "Hazel, how about you and Frank get the others situated? Dakota, Nico, Zy and I can visit the praetor's table. Don and Vitellius, you come too. We can discuss strategies for the war games."

"Strategies for losing?" Dakota muttered.

"Death Boy is right!" Vitellius said. "The legion fights worse than we did in Judea, and that was the  _first_  time we lost our eagle. Why if  _I_  were in charge-"

"Could I just eat the silverware first?" Don asked.

"Let's just go!" I said. I grabbed Don and Vitellius by the ear to drag them away. Vitellius spluttered in outrage, since apparently no one but Nico has ever been able to actually touch the Lares, as he was dragged off.

"Ow! Man, watch the fro!" Don protested.

"Come on, Dakota!" Nico ordered. The centurion got up reluctantly. He wiped his mouth - useless since it seemed to be permanently stained red.

"Back soon." He shook all over, like a dog trying to get dry, then staggered after us, his goblet sloshing.

"See y'all," Zy said before hurrying after. Great, the faun had nearly revealed Percy's empathy link with Grover. Percy may not know what that is, but we can't have Percy learning too much before he gets properly settled in, and the fauns here were a lot different than the satyrs back at Camp Half-Blood. Even Hedge was more tolerable than this. Right now, strategy meeting. I got taught by the best back in the Underworld, courtesy of my father, so I know how to fight and strategize. I didn't know a lot about the people I had to work with, but I knew about Audrey, Emily, Nico, Hazel, Percy, and myself, and we were enough to defeat the entirety of Camp Half-Blood by ourselves if we had a proper strategy. Time to focus on that right now.

* * *

First Person: Audrey

"What was that about?" Percy asked. "And what's wrong with Dakota?" Frank sighed.

"He's okay. He's a son of Bacchus, the wine god. He's got a drinking problem."

"You let him drink  _wine?_ "

"Gods, no!" Hazel said. "That would be a disaster. He's addicted to red Kool-Aid. Drinks it with three times the normal sugar, and he's already ADHD - you know, attention deficit/hyperactive. One of these days, he's going to explode." I looked over to the praetor's table. Most of the senior officers were in deep conversation with Reyna. Zy pushed her way to the front to join the conversation, bringing Veon along with her, while Nico and his captives Don and Vitellius stood on the periphery. Dakota was running back and forth along a line of stacked shields, banging his goblet on them like they were a xylophone.

"ADHD, huh?" I asked. "You don't say." Hazel looked like she was suppressing a laugh.

"Well…most demigods are. Or dyslexic. Just being a demigod means that our brains are wired differently. Like you - you said you have trouble reading?" She asked Percy.

"Are you guys that way too?" Percy asked.

"Well Em and I have long since learned to read," I said. "I'm personally a good writer, too."

"I really don't know," Hazel said. "Maybe. Back in my day, they just called kids like us lazy."

"Back in… _your_  day?" Percy asked.

"I wish I was ADHD or dyslexic," Frank said before she could answer. "All I got is lactose intolerance." Percy grinned.

"Seriously?"

"Never heard of that happening before," Emily said.

"I think that's just you, Zhang," I said. "Not the whole demigod thing."

"And I love ice cream too…" Frank said, his shoulders slumping. All of us laughed, and it reminded me of Camp Half-Blood, sitting at a dinner and laughing with friends. This place wasn't so bad once you got settled in, even if it did seem a bit strict.

"Okay, so tell me," Percy said. "Why is it bad to be in the Fifth Cohort? You guys are great."

"It's…complicated," Hazel said. "Aside from being Pluto's kid, I want to ride horses."

"That's why you use a cavalry sword?" She nodded.

"It's stupid, I guess. There's only one pegasus at camp - Reyna's. The unicorns are just kept for medicine, because the shavings of their horns cure poison and stuff. Anyway, Roman fighting is always done on foot. Cavalry…they kind of look down on that. So they look down on me."

"Their loss," I said. "What about you, Frank?"

"Archery," He muttered. "They don't like that either, unless you're a child of Apollo. Then you've got an excuse. I hope my dad  _is_  Apollo, but I don't know. I can't do poetry very well. And I'm not sure I want to be related to Octavian."

"Can't blame you," Percy said. "But you're excellent with the bow - the way you pegged those gorgons? Forget what other people think." Frank's face turned red.

"Wish I could. They all think I should be a good sword fighter because I'm big and bulky. They say I'm too stocky for an archer. Maybe if my dad would ever claim me…"

"Well, Veon wasn't claimed until a few months ago," Emily said, trying to be more positive. "And he was always expected to be a sporty guy back when we were in high school, but he was basically the opposite, and mostly relied on his powers to handle monsters rather than physical strength. It wasn't until recently that he learned how to use a sword and his lance, and even then, he seems to favor powers over weapons. Besides, I've met a few Apollo kids who can't shoot for the life of them, and are more into music or healing, but also ones that can shoot like marksman but don't understand healing or poetry at all. They shouldn't expect something of someone like that. If you're a good archer, then that's what you should pursue. In fighting, it's better to have you doing what you're best at rather than what you're expected to do. Besides, you'd be related to Zy, and she's awesome."

"You asked about the Fifth," Hazel said. "Why it's the worst cohort. That actually started way before us." She pointed to the back wall, where the legion's standards were on display. "See the empty pole in the middle?"

"The eagle," Percy said.

"How'd you know?" He shrugged.

"Vitellius was talking about how the legion lost its eagle a long time ago - the  _first_  time, he said. He acted like it was a huge disgrace. I'm guessing that's what's missing. And from the way you and Reyna were talking earlier, I'm guessing your eagle got lost a second time, more recently, and it had something to do with the Fifth Cohort." Never underestimate Percy's observational skills, lesson learned.

"You're right," Hazel said. "That's exactly what happened."

"So what  _is_  the eagle anyway?" Emily asked. "Why is it a big deal?" Frank looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

"It's the symbol of the whole camp," He said. "A big eagle made of gold. It's supposed to protect us in battle and make our enemies afraid. Each legion's eagle gave it all sorts of power, and ours came from Jupiter himself. Supposedly Julius Caesar nicknamed our legion Fulminata - armed with lightning - because of what the eagle could do."

"I don't like lightning," Percy said.

"Zy should be called Fulminata," I commented. "That girl gets scary when she busts out the lightning."

"Yeah, well, the eagle didn't make us invincible," Hazel said. "The Twelfth lost its eagle the first time way back in ancient days, during the Jewish Rebellion."

"I think I saw a movie on that," Percy said, and Hazel shrugged.

"Could be. There have been lots of books and movies about legions losing their eagles. Unfortunately it happened quite a few times. The eagle was so important…well, archaeologists have  _never_  recovered a single eagle from ancient Rome. Each legion guarded theirs to the last man, because it was charged with power from the gods. They'd rather hide it or melt it down than surrender it to an enemy. The Twelfth was lucky the first time, we got our eagle back, but the second time…"

"You guys were there?" Percy asked, but they both shook their heads.

"I'm almost as new as you," Frank said, tapping his probatio plate. "Just got here last month, but everyone's heard the story. It's bad luck to even talk about this. There was this huge expedition to Alaska back in the eighties…"

"That prophecy you noticed in the temple," Hazel continued. "The one about the seven demigods and the Doors of Death? Our senior praetor at the time was Michael Varus, from the Fifth Cohort. Back then, the Fifth was the best in camp. He thought it would bring glory to the legion if he could figure out the prophecy and make it come true - save the world from storm and fire and all that. He talked to the augur, and the augur said the answer was in Alaska. But he warned Michael it wasn't time yet. The prophecy wasn't for him."

"But he went anyway?" I guessed. "What happened?" Frank lowered his voice.

"Long, gruesome story. Almost the entire Fifth Cohort was wiped out. Most of the legion's Imperial gold weapons were lost, along with the eagle. The survivors went crazy or refused to talk about what had attacked them. Since the eagle was lost, the camp has been getting weaker. Quests are more dangerous, monsters attack the boarders more often, moral is lower, and the last month or so, things have been getting much worse, much faster."

"So Fifth took the blame," I concluded. "Now everyone thinks we're cursed." Hazel sipped a spoonful of her cold gumbo.

"We've been the outcasts of the legion since…well, since the Alaska disaster. Our reputation got better when Jason became praetor-"

"The kid who's missing?" Percy asked.

"Yeah," Frank said. "I never met him. Before my time. But I hear he was a good leader. He practically grew up in the Fifth Cohort. He didn't care what people thought about us. He started to rebuild our reputation. Then he disappeared."

"Which put us back to square one," Hazel said bitterly. "Made us look cursed all over again. I'm sorry, guys. Now you know what you've gotten yourself into." I stole more of Percy's blue soda.

"Well, it's not the first time we've been the underdogs," Emily said.

"Besides, being in the legion is better than being chased through the wilderness by monsters," Percy said. "I've got myself some new friends."

"And a half-sister," I reminded him.

"Maybe together we can turn things around for the Fifth Cohort, eh?" A horn blew at the end of the hall, and the officers at the praetor's table got to their feet - even Dakota, his mouth vampire-red from Kool-Aid.

"The games begin!" Reyna and Zy announced. The campers cheered and rushed to collect their equipment from the stacks along the walls.

"So we're offensive?" I asked. "I personally find that good. Anyone else?"

"Good news, we get the elephant," Hazel said. "Bad news-"

"Let me guess," Percy said. "The Fifth Cohort always loses?" Frank slapped Percy on the shoulder.

"I love this guy. Come on, new friends. Let's go chalk up my thirteenth defeat in a row!"


	10. Let the Games Begin

First Person: Emily

Frank Zhang had a secret. That was obvious enough to tell. When he'd showed us the vials that he'd gotten were gorgon's blood, I thought that was it, but no. I sensed something else, something deeper. My powers didn't allow me to read thoughts, but I could still sense his turmoil. There was screwing up during his time at Camp Jupiter, there was the recent loss of his mother to war, but there was a kind of dread that was permanently haunting him. It was kinda like that feeling before a quest, knowing that you were gonna have to go through a lot to win, but it was your destiny and there was no avoiding it. On a brighter note, turns out he's Chinese Canadian.

Once we got out of the camp, the Fifth Cohort formed two lines behind their centurions, Dakota and Gwen. We marched north, skirting the edge of the city, and headed to the Field of Mars - the largest, flattest part of the valley. The grass was cropped short by all the unicorns, bulls, and homeless fauns that grazed here. The earth was pitted with explosions craters and scarred with trenches from past games. At the north end of the field stood our target. The engineers had built a stone fortress with an iron portcullis, guard towers, scorpion ballistae, water cannons, and no doubt many other surprises for the defenders to use.

"They did a good job today," Hazel said. "That's bad for us."

"Wait," Percy said. "You're telling me that fortress was built  _today?_ " Hazel grinned.

"Legionnaires are trained to build. If we had to, we could break down the entire camp and rebuild it somewhere else. Take maybe three or four days, but we could do it."

"Yeah, let's not," Audrey said. "So, you attack a different fort every night?"

"Not every night," Frank said. "We have different training exercises. Sometimes deathball - um, which is like paintball except with…you know, poison and acid fire balls. Sometimes we do chariots and gladiator competitions, sometimes war games."

"Man, and I thought training in the Underworld was harsh," Veon muttered.

"Somewhere inside the fort, the First and Second Cohorts are keeping their banners. Our job is to get inside and capture them without getting slaughtered. We do that, we win."

"It  _is_  capture the flag!" Audrey said.

"I think I like capture the flag," Percy said. Frank laughed.

"Yeah, well…it's harder than it sounds. We have to get past those scorpions and water cannons on the walls, fight through the inside of the fortress, find the banners, and defeat the guards, all while protecting our own banners and troops from capture. And  _our_  cohort is in competition with the other two attacking cohorts. We sort of work together, but not really. The cohort that captures the banners gets all the glory." Percy stumbled, trying to keep time with the left-right marching rhythm. As a choir and drama person, I knew how to adjust to a certain beat quickly, so it wasn't hard as long as I stopped focusing on it and let my feet carry me.

"So why are we practicing this anyway?" Percy asked. "Do you guys spend a lot of time laying siege to fortified cities?"

"Teamwork," Hazel said. "Quick thinking, tactics, battle skills. You'd be surprised what you can learn in the war games."

"Like who will stab you in the back," Frank suggested.

"Especially that."

"You learn the most about yourself in the heat of battle," Veon said. "Back in the Underworld, training consisted mostly of just fighting opponents without instruction, other than don't die. I had to learn my own strengths and weaknesses, and the only way to do that was to throw me into battle with diverse opponents and nothing but my own wits. Then, I had to work on commanding an army against another person controlling theirs. You have to know all about the people you're working with, their strengths and weaknesses and how to work with them. There's a lot to focus on, and a lot to learn about those around you. These war games shouldn't be too much, if my training in the Underworld is anything to go by."

We marched to the center of the Field of Mars and formed ranks, the Third and Forth Cohorts assembling as far as possible from the Fifth. The centurions for the attacking side gathered for a conference, and Veon complained about how he couldn't be the one to tell the cohort what to do, since he was the most experienced with things like this. In the sky above, Reyna circled on her pegasus, Scipio, ready to play referee, while Zy floated beside her with an amused face. She was looking forward to us dominating on the battle field and shocking the Romans, I could tell. Half a dozen eagles flew in formation behind her - prepared for ambulance airlift duty if necessary. The only person not participating in the game was Nico di Angelo, who had climbed an observation tower about a hundred yards from the fort and would be watching with binoculars.

We were given armor, but thanks to capture the flag back at Camp Half-Blood, it wasn't hard to get equipped to my preferences. Audrey, as a dagger expert, had been teaching me how to use mine, though I wasn't an offensive person anyways. I could explore that fort hopefully without anyone willing to raise a weapon against me in the first place, but I could sense that Romans were trained to keep on task and resist influence, so who knows? If worst did come to worst, I could shut people down and leave them zombies for the rest of the game. I'd gotten better at using that technique, and I knew for certain how to reverse it too, so I was more comfortable with it. Granted, I was glad my friends worried about me.

"You did it right," Frank said in amazement. "Percy, you must've done the war games before."

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Or he just knows how to put on armor," Audrey said. Frank looked to Percy's sword, the blade leaf shaped with Greek writing on the hilt. That might give away Percy's origins. Audrey unsheathed her sword, realizing that it looked pretty similar to Percy's.

"We  _can_  use real weapons, right?" Percy asked.

"Yeah," Frank agreed. "For sure. I've just never seen a sword like that before."

"What if I hurt somebody?"

"We heal them. Or try to. The legion medics are pretty good with ambrosia and nectar, and unicorn draught."

"No one dies," Hazel confirmed. "Well, not usually. And if they do-"

"They're wimps!" Frank said, imitating Vitellius. "Back in my day, we died all the time, and we liked it!" Hazel laughed.

"Just stay with us, guys," She said. "Chances are we'll get the worst duty and get eliminated early. They'll throw us at the walls first to soften up the defenses. Then the Third and Fourth Cohorts will march in and get the honors,  _if_  they can even breach the fort."

"Well, Em, think you can handle being the center of attention?" Veon asked.

"Well, I  _am_  a daughter of Venus," I said. "I guess it's my fate." Horns blew. Dakota and Gwen walked back from the officer's conference, looking grim.

"All right, here's the plan!" Dakota said, taking a quick swig of Kool-Aid from his travel flask. "They're throwing us at the walls first to soften up the defenses." The whole cohort except us groaned.

"I know, I know," Gwen said. "But maybe this time we'll have some luck!" She sounded like the optimist of the bunch. I liked her. "First line with Dakota. Lock shields and advance in turtle formation to the main gates. Try and stay in one piece. Draw their fire. Second line-" She turned to Frank's row without much enthusiasm and I began to rethink my opinion on her. "You seventeen, from Bobby over there, take charge of the elephant and the scaling ladders. Try flanking attack on the western wall. Maybe we can spread the defenders too thin. Frank, Hazel, Percy, Audrey, Emily, Veon…well, just do whatever. Show the new guys the ropes. Try to keep them alive." She turned back to the whole cohort. "If anybody gets over the wall first, I'll make sure you get the Mural Crown. Victory for the Fifth!" The group cheered halfheartedly and broke ranks.

"Do whatever?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, big vote of confidence," Hazel said.

"What's the Mural Crown?" Audrey asked.

"Military medal," Frank said. "Big honor for the first soldier to breach an enemy fort. You'll notice nobody in the Fifth is wearing one. Usually we don't even get to the fort because we're burning or drowning or…"

"Water cannons," Audrey realized.

"What?" Percy asked.

"The cannons on the walls," Frank said, catching on. "They draw water from the aqueduct. There's a pump system - heck, I don't know how they work, but they're under a lot of pressure. If you two could control them, like you controlled the river-"

"Frank, that's brilliant!" Hazel beamed.

"We're gonna have to get closer," Audrey said. "I don't know about Percy, but if I want proper control over a large amount of water, I can't do it from this far away. I can just sneak in with my powers, but Percy…"

"We can get you guys closer," Frank declared. "They'll never take us seriously, and we should be able to sneak up pretty close before they see us."

"Emily," Veon said. "You walk in like a crazy maniac and take their forces by surprise with your invincibility. I'll shadow travel up to the troops and take them by surprise, also winning that medal, mind you, but that should surprise them enough to cause confusion for a moment. Those few moments we can buy you, Frank, Hazel, Percy and Audrey get in there. Audrey, you go ahead with your water and keep the water cannons from harming any of the cohort members and by time for Percy to join you. Hazel, you're good underground. If I'm reading this place right, there are trenches riddled throughout this place that can get you close enough. Then, the two of you have a party while I get the flag. Understood? And the other guys of the cohort…well, watch out for them too."

"Hey, you don't get all the glory," Audrey said.

"Frank, Hazel, while the two of them are going willy-nilly with the water, anyone who wants to can join me and the other members of the cohort in fighting to get to the flag. Deal?" She rolled her eyes, but went along with it anyway. Hazel took Frank and Percy over to some trenches underground, and then the fight began.

I ran forward first, Audrey transforming into water and seeping into the ground to disappear, while Veon turned to shadows and disappeared as well. I was the distraction. Time to have some fun. Capture the flag only got so fun when your opponents knew all about your strengths and weaknesses, and to avoid you, but I admit that I like the faces on people when they realize that I'm invincible. Now came the decision of whether I should reveal my charm speak or my invincibility first. I guess it depended on whether they didn't fire on me and questioned how idiotic I must've been to run right in the line of fire.

"HELLO!" I shouted as I ran up. "Put your weapons down! You don't wanna fight my cohort!" Anyone who heard my voice began to hesitate, and I willed a wave of peace to flow out, the emotion that was easiest for me to influence. Right now, people from both sides were staring at me like I was an idiot, running ahead of all the troops without my shield drawn and only equipped with a dagger that I also had sheathed. Suddenly, Veon appeared on the wall and whistled as loudly as he could, drawing everyone's attention away from me. So much for saying  _I'd_  be the center of attention.

"Hey! I hear I get a medal now!" He shouted before drawing his lance and whacking some of the kids next to him off the wall and away from the cannons. The eagles were there to rescue the kids before they plummeted to their doom, but that's when the havoc broke loose, the kids from both sides charging into a fight. I ran up, a kid deciding I was the closest opponent and swinging his sword. I held up my arm and blocked it, feeling the blade trying to cut me, but not even penetrating my skin.

"You shouldn't hit a lady!" I shouted and threw his sword to the side. I put my hand on his forehead and then willed my influence onto him, clearing my mind and then clearing his. He fell to his knees, staring at the ground blankly, alive, but in a way, not. I continued forward, tapping people on any part of their skin I could and shutting them down before they could try and attack me. Some succeeded with one or two strikes, only to be surprised and then shut down by me a moment later. I was getting better at my shut down power, and it was nice to work with new minds and get in some real training.

I found Audrey when a water cannon began shooting the people on the wrong side, and then another, and another, and another. The enemy troops were in panic with me, Veon, and Audrey. We all had unknown abilities, and they underestimated the importance of not knowing your enemy just because we were in the Fifth Cohort. I was now being pelted with rocks and shot with flaming bolts from the scorpions that were blasting craters, but I stood my ground and advanced forward, the Fifth Cohort catching up with their shields on the defensive. I realized that I had a shield for a reason and then drew it for convenience sake rather than getting smacked by a rock in the head. It didn't disable me, but it was certainly getting annoying.

The Third and Forth Cohorts weren't even advancing, watching their "allies" get beat up while standing back and laughing. I began to get angry, and that anger was sent out to the Fifth Cohort's troops as they began to push forward faster. There was suddenly a lightning bolt that struck right next to the Third Cohort, and another by the Fourth, and it couldn't have been so precise if it were natural. I looked up to Zy who had her arms crossed, glaring at the two groups. When she caught my gaze, she smiled and shrugged innocently. The defenders clustered on the wall above the gates, yelling insults at the tortoise formation as it staggered back and forth.

So the war games had simply become a game of "beat of the Fifth Cohort," huh? I wasn't gonna stand for that. I stood still and planted my feet, closing my eyes and blocking out the attacks, the sounds, everything, and just focused on the emotions. I sensed the enjoyment coming from the defending cohorts, and then my determination grew. I threw my arms forward and then willed my influence upon them. A wave of power surged forward towards the fort, and then suddenly some of the kids began collapsing, shutting down. Others stopped in confusion, some fought what was happening, and others weren't affected but were terrified by what was happening.

"You messed with the wrong demigod!" Veon shouted before taking advantage of the confusion and attacking the enemies in their confusion. "And now I'm here too." Suddenly one of the water cannons exploded on the east wall. Guess that's where Hazel decided to take Percy. Defenders screamed as watery shockwave flattened them against the battlements. Kids toppled over the walls but were snatched up by the giant eagles and taken to safety. Then, Audrey took that as her cue to stop being subtle, and suddenly all the water cannons on the eastern wall shuddered as one after another, the water cannons on the battlements exploded. The scorpions' fires were doused, the defenders scattered in even more confusion or were tossed into the air, giving the rescue eagles quite a workout. Everyone in the cohorts had frozen in confusion, lowering their shields, mystified as they stared at the chaos.

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" I shouted to the offensive cohorts. "Come on!  _Attack_!" That was a command that didn't even take charm speaking, as the cohort snapped out of their daze and a cheer rang out, Hannibal the elephant trumpeting with happiness. And then we charged to battle.


	11. A Visit from Mars

First Person: Zytaveon

This was the most fun I'd had in ages! I attacked the unsuspecting campers with my fists alone, not even needing my lance anymore (though I also didn't want to cut off any limbs, either). When they finally did begin fighting back, they were nothing compared to all the training I'd done in the Underworld. They were good, don't get me wrong, but they were panicking, not expecting our surprise attack and underestimating our powers. They thought that the Fifth Cohort was nothing, but now we were gonna get revenge for their teasing, their mocking, their utterly aggravating segregation. I put my anger into every strike, making sure to throw any campers I could off the walls, though I did feel a little bad for all the work the eagles were going through. Oh well. Good exercise.

I saw an arrow being shot, connected to a rope, and I knew that had to be Frank. Some of the campers tried to hack down his rope ladder while the three were climbing, but I ran up and attacked, charging and using my weight to tackle a good deal of them like a football player, even though I was  _not_  a football guy, and they toppled like bowling pins. I then drew my lance and spun it to block some arrows coming my way as well as knocking down defenders simultaneously. I knew how to use this lance, and I could spin it as fast as a baton twirler to both attack and defend with ease.

"Fun," Someone said, and I turned to realize Percy, Hazel and Frank had made it up the rope and joined the fight. Down below, I saw Emily at the front of the cohort, the arrows and rocks seemingly having not even the slightest affect on her, as she charged. The elephant Hannibal barreled into the fort, attacks also bouncing harmlessly off his Kevlar armor. The Fifth Cohort charged in behind the two of them, and the battle went hand-to-hand. Suddenly, a large amount of water formed behind me to transform into Audrey, who punched down one of the kids who was trying to attack in my distraction.

"Good to see you've been having fun," She said.

"Welcome to the party," I said. "Shall we tear them apart?" Finally, from the edge of the Field of Mars, a battle cry went up and the Third and Fourth Cohorts ran to join the fight.

"A bit late," Hazel grumbled.

"We can't let them get the banners," Frank declared.

"No, those are ours," Percy agreed.

"Then let's go," I said. "Give me a location of the banner and I can get to it with shadow travel."

"Let's get moving then," Audrey said, and our group wordlessly hurried off. Emily joined up with us, no one standing in her way, and even those who tried instantly passed out with just a look from her. Never get on that girl's bad side. With our group untied, we plowed through the enemy effortlessly, the six of us unstoppable. Man, if this is what our group was like now, then what kind of formidable force would we be when Zy joined us? Who knows? Percy's big quest might not be as bad as I'd feared.

The First and Second Cohorts - the pride of Camp Jupiter, a well-oiled, highly disciplined war machine - fell apart under the assault and the sheer novelty of being on the losing side. I laughed in joy as we took down our enemy. Percy was every bit a Greek as you could get, whirling through the defenders' ranks in a completely unorthodox style, rolling under their feet, slashing with his sword instead of stabbing like the Romans were, whacking campers with the flat of his blade, and along with me, we were causing mass panic, our fighting style unpredictable, but also fluid as we took down anyone who got too close.

Octavian screamed in a shrill voice - maybe ordering the First Cohort to stand their ground, maybe trying to sing soprano (who knows?) - but Percy and I happily put a stop to it. Percy somersaulted over a line of shields while I shadow traveled past, so that Percy and I each slammed the butt of our swords into Octavian's helmet and neck respectively. The centurion collapsed like a sock puppet, and the two of us high-fived. I'd been wanting to do that all day.

"Nerds!" Audrey called as she ran past. "Try and keep up!" She threw her arms around and her water began to circle her and freezing to deadly shrapnel. She herself turned to water and joined the deadly hurricane which concentrated on all her targets. When the campers were on the ground and trying in vain to block all her small shards of ice and screaming that they give up, the ice melted to water and then came together to form my friend once more while the eagles took the "fallen" campers out.

"I can't do that…" Percy muttered. Frank had shot arrows until his quiver was empty, using blunt-tipped missiles that wouldn't kill, but left some nasty bruises. He broke his pilum over a defender's head, then reluctantly drew his gladius. Emily was walking around calmly, the campers keeping their distance as she seemed to hum a tune to herself, swinging her finger to the beat in front of her like a conductor and random defenders collapsing whenever they were unlucky enough to be pointed at. Hazel climbed onto Hannibal's back, charging toward the center of the fort, grinning at her friends.

"Let's go, slowpokes!" So that's where we were going, eh? I fell into the shadows and then shadow traveled inside, reappearing and grabbing the flags, scaring the heck out of the First and Second Cohort standard-bearers that were sitting around a table playing Mythomagic with cards and figurines. Nico know how to play that game pretty well, and with his knowledge in my head now, I felt compelled to play a game with him now. Before they could properly panic, Hannibal busted down the huge doors. The inner keep must've been virtually unguarded, as they hadn't expected an assault to make it this far. Hazel and Hannibal rode straight into the room, and the standard-bearers fell backward out of their chairs, Hannibal stepping on the table and the game pieces shattering.

"Hey! That was a good set of game pieces!" I said, Nico's Mythomagic nerd side slipping through me. Not that I really minded; I was already a natural born nerd anyway. Emily just laughed as Percy and Frank disarmed the enemies. I passed Percy one of the banners and Frank the other as we mounted Hannibal with Hazel, marching out of the keep triumphantly with the enemy colors. The Fifth Cohort formed ranks around us, and together we paraded out of the fort, passing the stunned enemies and lines of equally mystified allies. Reyna and Zy came lower overhead.

"The game is won!" Reyna said, slight disbelief in her voice as she tried not to laugh.

"Assemble for honors!" Zy said. Slowly the campers regrouped on the Field of Mars. There were plenty of minor injuries - some burns, broken bones, black eyes, cuts and gashes, plus a lot of very interesting hairdos from fires and exploding water cannons, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. Emily waved her hand and all the dazed campers were freed, some of them jumping up and not remembering what happened, and others slowly blinking before looking around and gathering their bearings slowly. We all slid off the elephant, our new comrades swarming us, pounding both males and females alike on the back and complimenting us.

"You looked to be having fun," Zy said to us.

"Heck yeah," I said and Emily laughed.

"It was certainly as interesting as capture the flag," Audrey said. "The Romans just make it even better!"

"Gotta admit, I wish I could've participated," Zy said.

"Help!" Somebody suddenly yelled. A couple of campers rushed out of the fortress, carrying a girl on a stretcher. They set her down, and the other kids started running over. I sensed death, her soul leaving, and I could tell even from here that it was Gwen. She lay on her side on the stretcher, with a pilum sticking out of her armor and a large amount of blood. She'd been stabbed straight through the torso.

Everyone ran to get closer, and the medics barked at everyone to stand back and give her air. Zy flew up and over the crowds to land next to Gwen, working with the medics as the whole legion fell silent. The healers tried to get gauze and powdered unicorn horn under Gwen's armor to stop the bleeding, trying to force some nectar into her mouth, while Zy put one hand on Gwen's head and the other on her wound, her eyes closed and her hands glowing with energy. Gwen didn't move, and her face was ashen gray. And I sensed her gone long before the medic looked up to Reyna and shook his head.

For a moment, there was no sound except for the water from the ruined cannons trickling down the walls of the fort. Hannibal nuzzled Gwen's hair with his trunk. Zy stood from Gwen and looked to Reyna, the two of them sharing a silent agreement with anger in their eyes. Reyna then surveyed the campers from her pegasus, her expression as hard and dark as iron.

"There will be an investigation. Whoever did this, you cost the legion a good officer. Honorable death is one thing, but this…"

"CHT I Legion XII F," Zy relayed, looking at the wooden shaft of the pilum. "This came from the First Cohort. Based on first appearance, it seems she was stabbed from behind, as the point is sticking out the front of her armor. Of course, the weapon could've been taken from someone from a First Cohort member during the battle, but we do know that this was an ambush, not an accident. The wound it precise, deliberate, and it seems to have taken place late in the battle, or possibly  _after_  the game had ended." Everyone looked around in horror, when suddenly, Gwen gasped. Everyone stepped back except Zy and I, as Gwen opened her eyes, the color coming back to her face. No, I  _sensed_  her soul dying, leaving, but then suddenly…it didn't fully make the trip. At the last second, it resisted, and there was nothing to stop it from returning. Monsters coming back was one thing, but now  _humans_  too…this means  _anyone_  could come back. Death…oh no.

Wh-what is it?" She asked, blinking. "What's everyone staring at?" She seemed unaware of the seven-foot harpoon sticking out through her chest.

"There's no way," One of the medics whispered. "She was dead. She  _has_  to be dead." Gwen tried to sit up, but couldn't and Zy kneeled down to examine her.

"There was a river, and a man asking…for a coin? I turned around and the exit door was open. So I just…I just left. I don't understand. What's happened?"

"Mrs. Gwen," Emily said cautiously, stepping forward since no one else moved. "Don't try to get up. Just close your eyes for a second."

"Why? What-?"

"Just trust me, ma'am." Gwen complied without further argument. Emily grabbed the shaft of the pilum, and I moved to help her.

"Don't!" One of the medics said. "You might-!"

"What? Make it worse?" Zy asked. "Do it. She should be fine. Now hold her steady. One, two, three!" We pulled the pilum out from the front, but Gwen didn't even wince. The blood stopped quickly, and Zy examined the wound again. "It's repairing on its own."

"I feel fine," Gwen said. "What's everyone worried about?" With Frank and Percy's help, she got to her feet.

"Gwen," Emily said. "There's no easy way to say this. You were dead. Somehow you came back."

"I…what?" She stumbled against Frank and her hand went to the ragged hole in her armor. "How…how?"

"Good question," Reyna said. "Is this some power of Pluto?"

"Pluto doesn't just let people return from the dead like this," I said. "And he'd never let someone like Gwen back unless there was an absolute reason, which I highly doubt there is. No offense, but I'm not sure what importance there is to her return. Unless you count scaring the heck out of the legion."

"He's right," Nico said, who was watching grimly from the edge of the crowd. "Pluto never lets people return from death." He subtly looked to Hazel, warning her to stay quiet.

"I was assigned to judging, and if necessary, condemning souls for a good deal of time recently, but if I'm sensing this right, Gwen didn't even make it to be judged in the first place."

" _Death loses its hold. This is only the beginning_ ," A voice thundered across the field. Campers drew weapons, Hannibal trumped nervously, and Scipio reared, almost throwing Reyna off.

"I know that voice," Percy said, though he didn't sound pleased.

"Oh, great," Zy said, crossing her arms unaffected. In the midst of the legion, a column of fire blasted into the air. Campers who had been soaked by the cannons found their clothes instantly steam-dried, and everyone scrambled backwards as a huge soldier stepped out of the explosion. The soldier was ten feet tall, dressed in Canadian Forces desert camouflage, radiating confidence and power. His black hair was cut in a flat-topped wedge similar to Frank's, his face was angular and brutal, marked with old knife scars. His eyes were covered with infrared goggles that glowed from inside, he wore a utility belt with a sidearm, a knife holster, several grenades, and in his hand was an oversized M16 rifle.

"Nice entrance," Zy muttered. Frank stepped forward while everyone else at the legion, except Zy's group, stepped back. He took three steps and then he sank to one knee. The other campers followed his example and knelt, even Reyna dismounting to join. Zy didn't kneel once again, Percy glared at the soldier with his sword in hand, and Audrey and Emily looked to each other before staying standing too.

"That's good," The soldier said. "Kneeling is good. It's been a long time since I've visited Camp Jupiter."

"Hello Ares, good to see you," I said.

"What do you want?" Percy asked. A collective gasp went up from two hundred campers and an elephant, but the god simply bared his brilliant while teeth.

"Ah, it's you. Zika Virus."

"Zytaveon!" I shouted. This god never seemed to get my name right, and he's not the only one. It's like they  _try_  to come up with names and  _purposefully_  get it wrong. My name isn't  _that_  hard. Just look at all the complicated names of people in the past. Heck, look at the names of some of the  _gods_.

"Why are you here?" Percy demanded.

"You've got spunk, demigod," The god said. "Ares is my Greek form, but to these followers, to the children of Rome, I am Mars - patron of the empire, divine father of Romulus and Remus."

"We've met…we…we had a fight…" The Roman god scratched his chin, as if trying to recall.

"I fight a lot of people, but I assure you, you've never fought me as Mars. If you had, you'd be dead. Now, kneel, as befits a child of Rome, before you try my patience." Around Mar's feet, the ground boiled in a circle of flame. I looked to Audrey, Emily and Zy. Zy was giving an "I ain't kneeling" look, Emily gave a "we should probably respect him" look, and Audrey gave a "what are you gonna do?" look.

"Please," Frank said. Percy clearly didn't like it, but he knelt. I bowed for a moment, but didn't fall to my knees, while Emily and Audrey mimicked me. Zy gave a wave, and with a flick of her hand, the circle of flame was blown out.

"Now, moving on," She said. "Explain your visit, if you will." Mars scanned the crowd.

"Romans, lend me your ears!" He laughed - a good hearty bellow that made me smile too. Why did I have a feeling he'd always wanted to say that? "I've always wanted to say that. I come from Olympus with a message. Jupiter doesn't like us communicating directly with mortals, especially nowadays, but he has allowed this exception, as you Romans have always been my special people. I'm only permitted to speak for a few minutes, so listen up." He pointed to Gwen.

"This one should be dead, yet she's not," He said. "The monsters you fight no longer return to Tartarus when they are slain. Some mortals who died long ago are now walking the earth again." He glared to Nico for a split second. "Thanatos has been chained. The Doors of Death have been forced open, and no one is policing them, at least, not impartially. Gaea allows our enemies to pour forth into the world of mortals. Her sons, the giants, are mustering armies against you - armies that you will not be able to kill. Unless death is unleashed to return to his duties, you will be overrun. You must find Thanatos and free him from the giants. Only  _he_  can reverse the tides." He looked around and noticed everyone was still kneeling. "Oh, you can get up now. Any questions?"

Reyna rose uneasily. She approached the god, followed by Octavian, who was bowing and scraping like a champion groveler.

"Lord Mars," Reyna said. "We are honored."

" _Beyond_  honored," Octavian said. "So far beyond honored-"

"Well?" Mar snapped.

"Well, Thanatos is the god of death, the lieutenant of Pluto?" Reyna clarified.

"Right."

"And you're saying he was captured by giants."

"Right."

"And therefore people will stop dying?"

"Not all at once. But the barriers between life and death will continue to weaken. Those who know how to take advantage of this will exploit it. Monsters are already harder to dispatch. Soon they will be impossibly hard to kill. Some demigods will also be able to find their way back from the Underworld - like your friend Centurion Shish-kebab." Gwen winced.

"Centurion Shish-kebab?"

"If left unchecked," Mars continued. "Even mortals will eventually find it impossible to die. Can you imagine a world in which no one dies -  _ever?_ " Octavian raised his hand.

"But, ah, mighty all-powerful Lord Mars, if we can't die, isn't that a good thing? If we can stay alive indefinitely-"

"Don't be a fool, boy! Endless slaughter with no conclusion?! Carnage without any point?! Enemies that rise again and again and can never be killed?! Is that what you want?!"

"You're a god of war," Percy spoke up. "Don't you want endless carnage?" Mars's infrared goggles glowed brighter.

"Insolent, aren't you? Perhaps I  _have_  fought you before. I can understand why I'd want to kill you. I'm the god of Rome, child. I am the god of military might used for a righteous cause. I protect the legions. I am happy to crush my enemies underfoot, but I don't fight without reason. I don't want war without end."

"It is the natural balance of life and death, light and darkness," Zy said. "For it to be blurred as such will take away any purpose of life, any goals or enjoyment. Even Mars knows that fighting a war without reason is pointless, and not to his liking."

"You will discover this. You will serve me."

"Not likely," Percy said. The god smiled, as though they were old buddies talking trash.

"I order a quest!" The god announced. "You will go north and find Thanatos in the land beyond the gods. You will free him and thwart the plans of the giants. Beware Gaea! Beware her son, the eldest giant! Zyanya, your team may oversee the quest as well."

"The land beyond the gods?" Hazel asked with a squeak. Mars stared down at her, his grip tightening on his M16.

"That's right, Hazel Levesque. You know what I mean. Everyone here remembers the land where the legion lost its honor! Perhaps if the quest succeeds, and you return by the Feast of Fortuna…perhaps then your honor will be restored. If you don't succeed, there won't be any camp left to return to. Rome will be overrun, its legacy lost forever. So my advice is: Don't fail." Octavian somehow managed to bow even lower.

"Um, Lord Mars, just one tiny thing. A quest requires a prophecy, a mystical poem to guide us! We used to get them from the Sibylline books, but now it's up to the augur to glean the will of the gods. So if I could just run and get about seventy stuffed animals and possibly a knife-"

"You're the augur?" The god interrupted.

"Y-yes, my lord." The god pulled a scroll from his utility belt.

"Anyone got a pen?" The legionnaires stared at him. Mars sighed. "Two hundred Romans, and  _no one's_  got a pen?!"

"I know, right?" Zy called. She pulled a hefty ballpoint pen out of her bag and tossed it at the god. He caught it and then sighed at the legion, muttering a few things about what the world has come to these days as he began writing.

"There!" He finished and threw the scroll at Octavian. "A prophecy. You can add it to your books, engrave it on your floor, whatever." Octavian read the scroll.

"This says, "Go to Alaska. Find Thanatos and free him. Come back by sundown on June twenty-fourth or die"."

"Yes, is that not clear?"

"Well, my lord…usually prophecies are  _unclear_. They're wrapped in riddles. They rhyme, and…" Mar casually popped a grenade off his belt.

"Yes?"

"The prophecy is clear!" Octavian announced. "A quest!"

"Good answer." Mars tapped the grenade to his chin. "Now, what else? There was something else…Oh, yes." He turned to Frank. "C'mere, kid." Frank looked panicked, and his legs wobbled as he walked forward, seemingly against his will. Mars grinned. "Nice job taking the wall, kid. Who's the ref for this game?" Zy and Reyna raised their hands. "You see that play, ref? That was  _my_  kid. First over the wall, won the game for his team. Unless you're blind, that was an MVP play. You're not blind, are you?" Reyna looked like she was trying to swallow a mouse.

"No, Lord Mars," Reyna said.

"Nada," Zy said calmly.

"Hey, what about me?!" I complained.

"Oh, quiet, Soul King," The god said. "You're out here playing when you  _should_  be doing your job in the Underworld and keeping this from happening." He pointed to Gwen and she looked utterly offended. I crossed my arms.

"In case you haven't noticed, I wouldn't have been able to get to her in the first place! She turned around  _before_  I would've even been able to see her, let alone judge and send her away. Do you  _know_  how hard it is to condemn a soul these days? I want Thanatos freed as much as you do. Makes my job a whole lot harder when he's taking an unexpected leave." I sighed. "But Frank  _did_  technically jump  _over_  the wall before me, so  _technically_  he made it  _over_  the wall first while I made it  _onto_  the wall first."

"Then it's settled. Make sure he gets the Mural Crown. My kid here!" He shouted to the legion, in case anyone hadn't heard. Frank looked like he wanted to melt into the ground out of embarrassment. "Emily Zhang's son. She was a good soldier. Good woman. This kid Frank proved his stuff tonight. Happy late birthday, kid. Time you stepped up to a  _real_  man's weapon." He tossed Frank his M16, and the gun changed in midair, becoming smaller and thinner. When Frank caught it, the weapon was a spear. It had a shaft of Imperial gold and a point like a white bone, flickering with ghostly light.

"Is that a dragon's tooth?" I asked.

"Yes, I see you're not useless after all." I grumbled but stayed quiet. "You haven't learned to use your mom's talents yet, have you?" He asked Frank. "Well, that spear will give you some breathing room until you do. You get three charges out of it, so use it wisely. Now, my kid Frank Zhang is gonna lead the quest to free Thanatos, and Zyanya's team will assist them. Unless there are any objections?" Of course, no one said a word, but many of the campers glared at Frank with envy, jealousy, anger and bitterness. Emily was shuddering over there from their feelings washing over her, before she got angry and glared at the campers, who all looked down.

"You can take two companions," Mars said. "Those are the rules. One of them needs to be this kid." He pointed at Percy. "He's gonna learn some respect for Mars on this trip, or die trying. As for the second, I don't care. Pick whomever you want. Have one of your senate debates. You all are good at those." The god's image flickered and lightning crackled across the sky. "That's my cue. Until next time, Romans. Do not disappoint me!" The god erupted in flames and then he was gone.

"I thought Vulcan was the fire one," I muttered. Reyna turned toward Frank, her expression part amazement, part nausea, like she'd finally managed to swallow that mouse. She raised her arm in a Roman salute.

"Ave, Frank Zhang, son of Mars." The whole legion followed her lead, even me, even Zy. Frank deserved praise after how he'd been treated at camp so far. But Frank looked terrified, and I saw a worried look on Emily's face that confirmed it. Frank knew he'd been handed more than a spear for his birthday. He'd just been handed a death sentence.


	12. Nightmares and Senate Meetings

First Person: Zytaveon

I was running. Running from what, I don't know. There was pain, fear, dread, and…helplessness. I was fighting. I swung my sword at every monster that came close, but they just kept coming. My friends were by my side, but they were being overrun as well. The poisonous air seeped through me, my limbs ached with both pain and fatigue, but worst of all, I felt my mind being overwhelmed with emotion and feeling. The pain from my ribs didn't equate to the dread within my heart as I felt powerless. I knew there was nothing I could do to save my friends, no way to escape.

Suddenly, I wasn't me. I was attacking my friends. I felt the urge to destroy them, the pleasure as they screamed for me to stop. I saw them being overwhelmed by the sheer number of monsters, as the invincible one was pierced with numerous weapons at a time, the one made of liquid was trapped midway between the transformation from poison being thrown into her system, and the girl who once held a goddess stood alone, abandoned by the deity she once tried to believe in.

" ** _You will watch in vain as your loved ones are destroyed. You will be responsible. You will serve me, son of Hades, you shall be my vessel, and your so called friend will fail. Your own father has abandoned you to me, and the people you trust the most will betray you. Can you feel the darkness seeping into your soul? Every moment you come closer and closer to me, and you will never be able to escape._** " No, not again. These dreams have left me alone ever since I went to the Underworld, and I thought they were gone forever. This can't be real, this can't be happening. The cold was consuming me, I couldn't breathe, I saw my friends being beaten back and forth by the endless monsters, and I felt my own hand moving up to point at them. Then, I felt a tug and they screamed. I felt their souls being destroyed, I felt it on my hands as their lives were torn to pieces.

" _I'm sorry,_ " Zyanya said. Her voice rang out from everywhere, and even though she was so far away, I could see the sadness, the fear in her face. Why was she sorry? Why was she always sorry? She held her arms together in front of her, and then she began to glow. Electricity sparked across her body as I felt the power building within her. When she opened her eyes to look at me again, they were pure white and also glowing. She screamed, maybe out of pain, maybe out of anger, but then she threw her arms out and exploded. Lightning shot in all directions, her body encompassed in light, raw power seeping from every part of her until there was no her left anymore. I was caught in the wave of energy, the power burning through my body and soul, until I no longer felt anymore.

" _It's okay. You're okay._ " I opened my eyes to be sitting on a bed. I blinked and realized it was my room, back at my home where I'd tried to live a normal life. Someone had their arms around me protectively, and after the nightmare I had been in, I didn't want them to let go. I was prepared to just drift off right there into whatever peace I had.

"What happened?" I asked drowsily.

"A dream, Veon. Don't let it scare you, okay? You get controlled by no one."

"Lu? Why are you here? How?"

"You were having a nightmare, so I came to check on you. Zyanya's looking after my body."

"What is it? What does that…voice want from me?"

"Same thing any evil person wants. For you to be afraid of them. But you can't show him you are. You're stronger than him; you're stronger than anything he can throw at you. Understand?"

"But who is he?"

"I can't say. All I can tell you is that you have to overcome this. If these nightmares continue, I may not be able to reach you if you're too far gone. With this fight against the giants and Gaea going on, I have no doubt this is going to continue. You're a very strong demigod, a smart one, and a powerful one too. If they scare you, they can trick you, they can turn you against us without you even realizing what's happening. They're gonna try and break you from the inside out, but you can't let them. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Now get some rest. I'll protect you from anymore nightmares tonight, but I can't promise protection forever."

"It's okay. I need to be able to handle myself. I can't be reliant on others or it'll give me a weakness they'll exploit."

"You're a truly strong person. You're one of the best I've ever known. For a long time, I didn't believe in people, you know? You changed that."

"You never did tell me about your brother…" She laughed lightly.

"Now I know you must need your sleep. You'd never ask me about that if you were in your right mind."

"Why not?" I whined tiredly.

"It's called respect."

"But I wanna know…" She sighed.

"Maybe one day, when all this is over. But not now,  _watashi no ai_. I don't…I don't think I'm ready to speak of it."

"S'okay."

"Now go to sleep while you can, you dolt. You need it for our quest tomorrow."

"Mm," I muttered, happily falling into a nice sleep.

"Rise and shine, shadow boy!"

"What? You  _just_  told me to go to sleep."

"That was hours ago, Veon." I reluctantly opened my eyes to find Zy standing over me. I was in my bunk at Camp Jupiter. Right. I took my pillow and put it over my face.

"Five more minutes…" She pulled the covers and the pillow away with the strength of a goddess behind her (cheating) and I sat up angrily.

"Chop, chop. Senate meeting today!"

"In the Underworld I got to sleep in, just saying. Do I have to dress up?"

"If you want. I am. But in my armor. Your toga will do just fine." I snatched my pillow back and put it over my face as I fell back on my bed again. She shoved me off the bed and then looked down on me from it. "No moping. Would you rather go to government class back in high school?" I huffed before throwing my pillow at her.

"I'm going." She laughed and sat up. My roommates were rushing around, getting dressed and brushing their teeth. I snapped into my normal outfit, Zy saying that I didn't need to dress out until after breakfast. Dakota was trying to get in his own red-specked cloth, one of the Lares giving him pointers on where to tuck and fold. He ended up getting his head stuck in his toga, staggering around like a Kool-Aid-stained ghost. The ability to change my clothes was a random one, but a useful one.

At breakfast, I was conscious of everyone looking at us and whispering about the previous night: "Three gods in one day…" "Un-Roman fighting…" "Water cannon up my nose…" I didn't really care, and I kinda felt proud of the…notoriety? I couldn't tell whether it was bad to have such rumors. I mean, they were just talking about our awesomeness, after all.

Percy ate like a black hole, filling up on pancakes, eggs, bacon, waffles, apples, and several glasses of orange juice. I could barely eat  _one_  of those things (having a plate of pancakes today), let alone all of them together. He looked ready to have more when Reyna announced the senate would now convene in the city, and all folks in togas got up to leave. I reluctantly snapped into my toga that I'd received at my claiming, Zy insisting that it was fine, though that didn't mean I resented the outfit any less. Okay, admittedly I was getting used to it, and it was fine in front of a bunch of strangers, but not my friends. While Emily and Zy were indifferent about it, Audrey was smiling like a maniac, trying to suppress a laugh and failing. Zy snapped into her awesome armor, while Audrey and Emily were allowed to dress like normal people.

"Here we go," Hazel muttered, fidgeting with a two-carat ruby. I had rarely ever used my gem powers very often, but Hazel had an oversensitive connection, causing all her emotions and even her very presence to summon the jewels from the earth. It was odd, but I tried to keep the gems down while I was walking next to her.

" _Good fortune,_  you seven!" Vitellius said, appearing next to us. "Ah, senate meetings. I remember the one when Caesar was assassinated. Why, the amount of blood on his toga-"

"Thanks, Vitellius," Frank interrupted. "We should get going."

Reyna and Octavian led the procession of senators out of camp, with Reyna's metal greyhounds dashing back and forth along the road. Our group of seven was trailing behind. I noticed Nico, wearing a black toga, talking to Gwen, who looked a little pale but surprisingly good considering she'd been dead the night before. He gave a quick wave to Percy, but then went back to his conversation with Gwen, clearly trying to avoid him. I guess Nico  _had_  had a past with Percy, and therefore if he talked too much he might let something slip that he shouldn't, since he won't be able to remember every detail that Percy knows and what he doesn't.

Dakota stumbled along in his red-speckled robe. A lot of the other senators seemed to be having trouble with their togas too - hiking up their hems, trying to keep the cloth from slipping off their shoulders. I was lucky that dad gave me a proper fitting one so I didn't have those troubles. Mine fit surprisingly well, though I know that if I had to put on and take off the thing like a normal person, it wouldn't fit half as well.

"How could Romans move in those things?" Percy wondered.

"They were just for formal occasions," Hazel explained. "Like tuxedos. I bet the ancient Romans hated togas as much as we do."

"Well not really," Zy said. "Back in those times, togas were the norm. Think of it this way. There was a point in time where women wore thousands of layers, tight corsets and dressing like they do today would be considered a crime. It all depends on the times."

"By the way, you didn't bring any weapons, did you?" Hazel asked. Percy's hand went to his pocket where his pen was, and Audrey put her hand to her chest where her necklace was under her shirt.

"Why?" Percy asked. "Are we not supposed to?"

"No weapons allowed inside the Pomerian Line."

"The Pomeranian what?" Audrey asked.

"Pomerian," Frank said. "The city limits. Inside is a sacred "safe zone." Legions can't march through. No weapons allowed. That's so senate meetings don't get bloody."

"Like Julius Caesar getting assassinated?" Percy asked, and Frank nodded.

"Don't worry. Nothing like that has happened in months."

" _Months?_ " Emily clarified. I hoped he was kidding. As we got closer to the city, I could appreciate how beautiful it was. The tiled roofs and gold domes gleamed in the sun, gardens bloomed with honeysuckle and roses, and the central plaza was paved in white and gray stone, decorated with statues, fountains, and gilded columns. In the surrounding neighborhoods, cobblestone streets were lined with freshly painted town houses, shops, cafés, and parks. In the distance rose the coliseum and the horse racing arena.

When we reached the city limits, I noticed a white marble statue on the side of the road - a life-sized muscular man with curly hair, no arms, and an irritated expression. Maybe he was mad because he'd been carved only from the waist up. Below that, he was just a big block of marble. I looked left and right to see a line of identical statues ringing the city at intervals of about a hundred yards.

"Single file, please!" The statue said. "Have your IDs ready." The senators passed through easily, the statue checking the tattoos on their forearms and calling each of them by name. "Gwendolyn, senator, Fifth Cohort, yes. Nico di Angelo, ambassador of Pluto - very well. Reyna, praetor, of course. Hank, senator, Third Cohort - oh, nice shoes, Hank! Let's see…you're being called Zyanya now, eh? Host, Lucy…Chikara is it? Must say, the names sound nothing alike."

"Oh be quiet, Terminus," Zy said.

"Ah, who have we here?"

"This is Zytaveon Kanazoi, Audrey Mavepo, Emily Hezesto, and Percy Jackson. Guys, this is Terminus, the god of boundaries."

"New, eh? Let's see, probatio tablets. Fine."

"Um, Mr. Terminus," Emily said. "Do you have anywhere I can put my dagger? I didn't know we weren't supposed to bring weapons until we were already on our way here."

"Ah, weapons. Quite dangerous. Leave them in the tray. Wait, where's my assistant? Julia!" A little girl about six years old peeked out from behind the base of the statue. She had pigtails, a pink dress, and an impish grin with two missing teeth. "Julia?" Terminus glanced behind him, and Julia scurried on the other direction. "Where did that girl go?" Terminus looked the other way and caught sight of Julia before she could hide. The little girl squeaked with delight. "Oh, there you are. Front and center. Bring the tray." Julia scrambled out and brushed off her dress. She picked up a tray and presented it to us. On it were several paring knives, a corkscrew, an oversized container of sun lotion, and a water bottle.

"Aw, does that mean I have to put  _my_  water bottle on there too?" Audrey asked.

"You can pick up your weapons on the way out," Zy said.

"Julia will take good care of them," Terminus assured us. "She's a trained professional." The little girl nodded.

"Pro-fess-ion-al," She said, stretching each syllable carefully like she'd been practicing. Percy glanced at Hazel and Frank, who didn't seem to find anything wrong about handing a deadly weapon over to a kid. Emily set her dagger on the tray, and Audrey reluctantly took off her necklace and unhooked her water bottle from her belt before doing the same. She hadn't brought her sword, probably feeling her necklace and water would be enough should trouble happen. Besides, the sword would've been a bit conspicuous, and that's why I didn't have mine with me either. Zy put her guns on the tray and the grabbed her sword, tossing it behind her as it turned to light and then disappeared. I pulled the cuff that was my lance off and then set it on the tray too, though Percy hesitated.

"The thing is," He said. "The pen returns to my pocket automatically, so even if I give it up-"

"Not to worry," Terminus declared. "We'll make sure it doesn't wander off. Won't we, Julia?"

"Yes, Mr. Terminus." Percy reluctantly put his pen on the tray as well.

"Now, a few rules since you're new. You are entering the boundaries of the city proper. Keep the peace inside the line. Yield to chariot traffic while walking on public roads. When you get to the Senate House, sit on the left-hand side. And, down there - do you see where I'm pointing?"

"Um, you don't have any hands," Audrey said. Apparently, this was a sore point for Terminus, as his marble face turned a dark shade of gray.

"A smart aleck, eh? Well, Mrs. Rule Flouter, right down there in the forum - Julia, point for me please-" Julia dutifully set down the security tray and pointed toward the main plaza. "The shop with the blue awning, that's the general store. They sell tape measures. Buy one! I want those pants exactly one inch above the ankles and that hair regulation cut. And tuck in your shirt."

"Thank you Terminus," Zy said quickly. "We need to get going."

"Fine, fine, you may pass. But stay on the right side of the road! And that rock there - no, there, look where I'm pointing. That rock is entirely too close to that tree. Move it two inches to the left." She sighed and waved her hand, and the rock moved. We continued down the path, Terminus still shouting orders while Julia did cartwheels across the grass.

"Is he always like that?" Percy asked.

"No," Hazel said. "Today he was laid back. Usually he's more obsessive and/or compulsive."

"He inhabits every boundary stone around the city," Frank said. "Kind of our last line of defense if the city's attacked."

"Terminus isn't too bad," Zy said. "Just don't make him angry, or he'll force you to measure every blade of grass in the valley. Not a problem for someone like me, but you mortals would probably drop dead under his orders."

"Noted," I said.

"And the kid?" Emily asked. "Julia?"

"Yeah, she's a cutie," Hazel said grinning. "Her parents live in the city. Come on. We'd better catch up to the other senators."

As we approached the forum, I was surprised by the number of people. College-aged kids were hanging out at the fountain, several of them waving as the senators passed by. One guy in his late twenties stood at the bakery counter, flirting with a young woman who was buying coffee, and an older couple was watching a little boy in diapers and a miniature Camp Jupiter shirt toddle after seagulls. Merchants were opening their shops for the day, putting out signs in Latin that advertised pottery, jewelry, and half-price tickets for the Hippodrome. It was strange. All my life I'd believed that I had to make the choice between being a demigod, or having a normal life, and that once I embraced my demigod side, I'd never be able to go back. The Roman lifestyle seemed hard, but in return, it offered this place, a city where you could be normal, no fighting, no running, but you didn't have to hide your origins or your powers. You could have a normal conversation about who your parent is, what gods you've met, what powers you have, yet still live in this place not having to worry about quests and fighting unless you wanted to.

" _All_  these people are demigods?" Percy asked.

"Or descendants from demigods," Hazel said. "Like I told you, it's a good place to go to college or raise a family without having to worry about monster attacks every day. Maybe two, three hundred people live here? The veterans act as, like, advisers and reserve forces as needed, but mostly they're just citizens living their lives."

I imagined a life where I could go and work for my father, do the whole quest thing, but also have the choice to stop whenever I wanted to. College was never on my plans, since I hated school with all my heart, but learning a few things here and there on my own time and not worrying about tests sounded like a decent idea. Maybe Zy could be a tutor and help me avoid school if I ever did decide to stop my demigod life, if only for a small amount of time. Maybe I was the son of a Greek god, but we were supposed to be bringing Greek and Romans together, so it was still a possibility. But not if this camp got destroyed beforehand, making the success of our quest all the more important. We couldn't let all these people down.

The Senate House interior looked like a high school lecture hall. A semicircle of tiered seats faced a dais with a podium and two chairs. The chairs were empty, but one had a small velvet package on the seat. Our group sat on the left side of the semicircle, though Zy went to sit with Nico and the ten senators at the front row. The upper rows were filled with several dozen ghosts and a few older veterans from the city, all in formal togas. Octavian stood in front with a knife and a Beanie Baby lion, just in case anyone needed to consult the god of cutesy collectibles. Reyna walked to the podium and raised her hand for attention.

"Right, this is an emergency meeting," She said. "We won't stand on formalities."

"I love formalities!" A ghost complained, and Reyna shot him a cross look.

"First of all, we're not here to vote on the quest itself. The quest has been issued by Mars Ultor, patron of Rome. We will obey his wishes. Nor are we here to debate the choice of Frank Zhang's companions."

"All three from the Fifth Cohort?" Hank from the Third called out. "That's not fair."

"And not smart," Another boy next to him said. "We  _know_  the Fifth will mess up. They should take somebody  _good_." Emily glared and suddenly the boy tensed up. Dakota rose so fast, he spilled Kool-Aid from his flask.

"We were plenty good last night when we whipped your podex, Larry!" He shouted.

"Enough, Dakota," Reyna said. "Let's leave Larry's podex out of this. As quest leader, Frank has the right to choose his companions. He has chosen Percy Jackson and Hazel Levesque."

" _Absurd!_ " A ghost from the second row yelled in Latin before switching to English. "Frank Zhang isn't even a full member of the legion! He's on probatio. A quest must be held by someone of centurion rank or higher. This is completely-!"

"Cato!" Reyna snapped. "We must obey the wishes of Mars Ultor. That means certain…adjustments."

"My team will be assisting and overseeing this quest as well," Zy said. "If you have a problem with the gods' word, please feel free to talk to me." No one spoke up. "Then we shall proceed." She clapped her hands and Octavian came forward. He set down his knife and Beanie Baby and took the velvet package from the chair.

"Frank Zhang, Zytaveon Kanazoi, Audrey Mavepo, Emily Hezesto, come forward." All of us looked to each other, having no idea why anyone other than Frank was coming up, but we got to our feet and approached the augur. "It is my… _pleasure_ ," He said, forcing out the last word, "to bestow you the Mural Crown for being first over the walls in siege warfare." I instantly felt jealous, considering  _I_  was the first to make it onto the wall. Octavian handed Frank a bronze badge shaped like a laurel wreath. "Also, by order of Praetor Reyna and Goddess Zyanya Chikara, to promote you, Zytaveon Kanazoi, Audrey Mavepo, and Emily Hezesto to the rank of centurion." He handed Frank another badge, a bronze crescent, along with me, Emily and Audrey. The senate exploded in protest.

"They're still probies!" Someone yelled.

"Those three just came in  _yesterday_!"

"Impossible!"

"Water cannon up my nose!"

"Silence!" Zyanya shouted, pounding the table in front of her and rising to her feet, and now things got serious as everyone suddenly shut up as though their lives depended on it, which they probably did. "We recognize that no one below the rank of centurion may lead a quest, and my team is worthy of such rank with far more experience than the majority of the entire legion!" She thundered. "For good or ill, Frank must lead this quest, and my team must assist them, so your praetor and I have decreed that these demigods must be made centurion.  _If_  anyone has further protest, know that I will personally be willing to address your concerns, and  _show_  you my team's powers if you haven't already encountered them yesterday! My team is admittedly a special circumstance, however, there  _is_  an opening for centurion. One of our officers, also a senator, has decided to step down for Frank Zhang. After ten years in the legion, she will retire to the city and attend college. Gwen of the Fifth Cohort, we thank you for your service." Everyone turned to Gwen, who managed a brave smile. She looked tired from the previous night's ordeal, but also relieved. I couldn't blame her. Compared to getting skewered with a pilum, college must've sounded pretty good for her. I personally would've taken the pilum.

"As praetor and goddess Zyanya," Reyna said, "We have the right to replace officers. I admit, it's unusual for a camper on probatio to rise directly to the rank of centurion, but I think we can agree…last night was unusual. Your IDs please." The four of us handed over our lead tablets to Octavian. Zyanya stepped forward.

"Your arms." Frank held up his forearm, and we copied him. Then Zyanya raised her arm upwards. "We accept Frank Zhang, Son of Mars, Zytaveon Kanazoi, Son of Pluto, Audrey Mavepo, Daughter of Neptune, and Emily Hezesto, Daughter of Venus, to the Twelfth Legion Fulminata for their first year of service. Do you pledge your life to the senate and people of Rome?"

Frank muttered something like "Ud-dud." Then he cleared his throat and managed an "I do."

"I do," I said confidently. There was a similar trial thing that I had to go through before I was allowed to judge the souls of the dead back in the Underworld. Something about not being prejudice and judging the souls properly, you know, like not showing favoritism or mercy.

"I do."

"I do."

" _Senatus Populusque Romanus!_ " The senators shouted. Zyanya closed her raised hand into a first and fire blazed on our forearms. I clenched my fist against the pain but fought through it. I had to take an oath back in the Underworld for judging the souls fairly, since these were actual souls that were being entrusted to a mortal's judgment, and something like this had happened except it was a brand on my souls itself, claiming that if I broke my promise my soul would be condemned, not just my physical body, and that I couldn't cheat my way out of the oath in any way. Audrey powered through it as well, and Emily clenched her teeth, but also managed to keep from screaming. When the smoke and flame died, the new marks had been created in our skin. We all had the SPQR and single stripe, Frank had an image of crossed spears, Audrey had a trident, I had that weird black glyph like a cross with curved arms and a head, and Emily had a dove.

"You may all return to your seats," Octavian said, glancing at the audience as if to say, "This wasn't my idea, folks." The senators shifted and muttered as we returned to our seats.

"Now, we must discuss the quest," Reyna said.

"Did it hurt?" Percy whispered.

"Yeah, a lot," Frank said, looking to his forearm that was still steaming.

"I've felt worse," I admitted.

"Here," Hazel said, pinning the medals to Frank's shirt. I put my medals on my toga, knowing that they'd stay there even when I changed out of it. Audrey and Emily put theirs on and then started focusing on Reyna.

"You deserve it man," Percy said, seeing Frank's disbelief. He seemed mystified by the badges, and I didn't need Emily's powers to know he couldn't believe this was real and felt he didn't deserve this. "What you did last night? Natural leadership."

"But  _centurion-_ "

"Centurion Zhang," Octavian called. "Did you hear the question?"

"Your plan for the quest," Emily whispered.

"Were you even listening? Do you even know where you are going?" Octavian asked, looking to the senate with a smirk like "What did I tell you?"

"Um…" Hazel put her hand on Frank's shoulder and stood.

"Weren't  _you_  listening last night, Octavian?" She asked. "Mars was pretty clear when he said we're going to the land beyond the gods - Alaska." The senators squirmed in their togas, some of the ghosts shimmering and disappearing. Even Reyna's dogs rolled over on their backs and whimpered. Finally, Senator Larry stood.

"I know what Mars said, but that's crazy. Alaska is cursed! They call it the land beyond the gods for a reason. It's so far north, the Roman gods have no power there. The place is swarming with monsters. No demigod has come back from there alive since-"

"Since you lost your eagle," I finished calmly. Larry was so startled, he fell back on his podex. I sat forward, taking on my formal tone that I had to use in the Underworld whenever I had to judge someone. "Listen, I know that we're new here, and you don't wish to mention the massacre in the 1980's-"

"He mentioned it!" One of the ghosts whimpered. I put my finger over my lips and he instantly quieted, sitting back with no intention of speaking up again.

"However, there is something to be gathered from this. The Fifth Cohort led that expedition and failed, but now we have to make things right. That's why Mars is sending us."

"This giant, the son of Gaea - he's the one who defeated your forces thirty years ago," Percy continued. "I'm sure of it. Now he's sitting up there in Alaska with a chained death god, and all your old equipment. He's mustering his armies and sending them south to attack this camp."

"Really?" Octavian asked. "You seem to know a lot about our enemy's plans." Percy froze, realizing Octavian was basically accusing us of being spies and traitors.

"The information is all right in front of you," I said, taking on my judge side again. "Consider: the gorgons, Juno  _and_  Mars claimed that there will be an attack upon Camp Jupiter on the Feast of Fortuna. It is  _very_ clear that Death has been imprisoned in some way, with monsters being harder to kill and even a mortal returning right in front of our eyes, not to mention making my job harder back in the Underworld, and my father has informed me that there is  _something_  wrong at the least. Mars did tell us that we have to go to Alaska to free Death, after all. As for the giant, Gaea has risen numerous giants all across the country and possibly the world within the past few decades. In my time in the Underworld, I've found spirits that have reported sightings of giants that have been re-risen, and some names of the giants are so unnerving that I dare not speak them here today unless you wish to hear. I've met a few souls whose cause of death have been a giant in Alaska."

"We're to confront this son of Gaea," Percy continued. "We'll get back your eagle and unchain this god…" He glanced to me. "Thanatos, right?" I nodded.

"Yep."

"Letus in Roman," Hazel said. "But his old Greek name is Thanatos. When it comes to Death…we're happy to let him stay Greek." Octavian sighed in exasperation.

"Well,  _whatever_  you call him, how do you expect to do all this and get back by the Feast of Fortuna? That's the evening of the 24th, and it's the 20th now."

"I've done more in less time," I said.

"My team is the best there is," Zy declared. "The task is daunting, but that is why we're here."

"Well do you even know where to look?" Octavian asked. "Do you even know who this son of Gaea is?"

"Yes," Hazel said with certainty. "I don't know  _exactly_  where to look, but I have a pretty good idea. That giant's name is Alcyoneus." The name seemed to lower the temperature in the room by fifty degrees, and the senators shivered. This is why I didn't want to mention the giant's names. Reyna gripped her podium.

"How do you know this, Hazel? Because you're a child of Pluto?" Nico, who had been so quiet I almost forgot he was there, stood in his black toga.

"Praetor, if I may," He said. "Hazel, Veon and I…we learned a little about the giants from our father." I willed my knowledge into his mind through our soul bond and he started talking more confidently. "Each giant was bred specifically to oppose one of the twelve Olympian gods - to usurp that god's domain. The king of the giants was Porphyrion, the anti-Jupiter, but the  _eldest_  giant was Alcyoneus. He was born to oppose Pluto. That's why we know of him in particular." Reyna frowned.

"Indeed? You sound  _quite_  familiar with him." Nico picked at the edge of his toga.

"Well it's only natural to wish to know of your father's worst enemy," I said. "To not be properly informed of him would be utter foolishness. Just because Alcyoneus is a name best unspoken, doesn't mean I'd refuse all the information I can get on him if it means he's a threat. Surely you see the logic in that."

"The giants were hard to kill," Nico continued. "According to prophecy, they could only be defeated by gods and demigods working together." Dakota belched.

"Sorry, did you just say gods and demigods…like fighting side by side? That could never happen!"

"And that's why the giants are such formidable foes," Zy said. "The gods would never get past their pride and ask for a demigod's help in order to defeat them, and barely did so the first time."

"Though it  _has_  happened before," Nico said. "In the first giant war, the gods called on heroes to join them, and they were victorious. Whether it could happen again, I don't know. But with Alcyoneus… _he_  was different. He was completely immortal, impossible to kill by god or demigod, as long as he remained in his home territory - the place where he was born. And if Alcyoneus has been reborn in Alaska-"

"Then he can't be defeated there," Emily finished with a thoughtful look on her face. "Ever. By any means. That's why your 1980's expedition failed." Another round of arguing and shouting broke out.

"The quest is impossible!" A senator shouted.

"We're doomed!" Cried a ghost.

"More Kool-Aid!" Dakota yelled.

"Silence!" Zyanya shouted. "You are Romans, are you not? Any warrior that I know would not be panicking for even a second, and would instead be working to come up with a solution. Mars assigned this quest. Is that not enough to convince you that he believes it is possible? We will go to Alaska, we will free Thanatos before the Feast of Fortuna. Should we retrieve the lost eagle in the process, all the better."

"All we can do is advise them to make sure they have a plan," Reyna said. "You  _do_  have a plan, right?" Percy looked around and realized she was talking to him.

"First, I need to understand something," He said. "I thought Pluto was the god of the dead. Now I hear about this other guy, Thanatos, and the Doors of Death from that prophecy - the Prophecy of Seven. What does that all mean?" I sighed.

"Okay, let's start with the basics. Pluto is the god of the Underworld, but the actual god of  _death_ , the one who's responsible for making sure souls go to the afterlife and stay there - that's Pluto's lieutenant, Thanatos. I hand over people to him all the time, but lately I've had to fill in for him, which is tiring work, by the way. It was only a matter of time before my efforts wouldn't be enough compared to him, so that's why I'm up here trying to free him. Think of Life and Death like two different countries. Everybody would like to be in Life, but people  _have_  to go to Death for hopefully understandable reasons. So there's a guarded boarder to keep people from crossing back over without permission. But it's a pretty large border, with lots of holes in the fence. Pluto tries to seal up the breaches, but nothing's perfect, and more will always pop up all the time. That's why he depends on Thanatos, who's like the border patrol, the police."

"Thanatos catches the souls," Percy clarified. "Deports them back to the Underworld."

"Yes, now imagine doing both his job  _and_  mine to judge where the souls go in the afterlife. The only reason I did as well as I have was because I was strong in the Underworld, but I'm still mortal and I can't do a god's job forever. I could only do so much down there, so I came back up here to get Death back up and running sooner. Thanatos has now been captured, chained up, and we need to free him." Frank raised his hand.

"Uh…how do you chain Death?"

"It's been done before," Nico said. "In the old days, a guy named Sisyphus tricked Death and tied him up. Another time, Hercules wrestled him to the ground."

"And so now a giant has captured him," Audrey concluded. "If we're able to free Thanatos, that means the dead will stay dead, right? Er…no offense, Gwen."

"It's more complicated than that." Octavian rolled his eyes.

"Why does that  _not_  surprise me?"

"You mean the Doors of Death," Reyna said, ignoring Octavian. "They are mentioned in the Prophecy of Seven, which sent the first expedition to Alaska-" Cato the ghost snorted.

"We all know how that turned out! We Lares remember!" The other ghost grumbled in agreement. Nico and I put our fingers to his lips, all the Lares suddenly going silent, sealing their mouths shut.

"Thanatos is only part of the solution," Nico explained. "The Doors of Death…well, that's a concept even we don't understand completely. There are many ways into the Underworld - the River Styx, the Door of Orpheus - plus smaller escape routes that open up from time to time. With Thanatos imprisoned, all those exits will be easier to use. Sometimes it might work to our advantage and let a friendly soul come back, like Gwen here. More often, it will benefit evil souls and monsters, the sneaky ones who are looking to escape. Now, the Doors of Death - those are the personal doors of Thanatos, his fast lane between Life and Death. Only Thanatos is supposed to know where they are, and the location shifts over ages. If I understand correctly, the Doors of Death have been forced open. Gaea's minions have seized control of them-"

"Which means Gaea controls who can come back from the dead," Percy guessed. Nico nodded.

"She can pick and choose who to let out - the worst monsters, the most evil souls. If we rescue Thanatos, that means at least he can catch souls again and send them below. Monsters will die when we kill them, like they used to, and we'll get some breathing room. But unless we're able to retake the Doors of Death, our enemies won't stay down for long. They'll have an easy way back to the world of the living."

"So we can catch them and deport them," Emily summed up. "But they'll just keep coming back across."

"Only a certain number of people can pass through the doors at a time," I said. "It's practically a free pass from Death to Life, so of course it will naturally have its limits. Gaea's going to have to play a numbers game, choosing whether she wants to send back ones recently killed, or send back those who haven't gotten their first turn yet. At the least, restoring Death will slow the process significantly. Percy, the gorgons you fought. How long did it usually take them to re-spawn after you killed them?"

"Around two hours at the most."

"Compare two hours of a monster reviving to days, weeks and even months. It's not a lot of time if Gaea wishes to send the one we're destroying back every time we kill them, right the moment they die, but there are a lot of enemies wishing to come back here, and she's gonna have to consider who's more valuable and who she made promises to. No one would dare turn against her, but if someone gets angry, they may bend the rules, stretch the truth, and be an all out annoyance to her. She's a patient woman, but when the finish line draws near, even the most patient person can get anxious. She's smart, but that will be a detriment to her plan. Freeing Death will be more than worth it, buying us some much needed time and breathing room even if the Doors of Death are still at work."

"Do you know where the Doors are if you've taken over Thanatos's job for a while, Ve?" Audrey asked.

"No. For one, there was no  _reason_  to tell me where they are unless  _I_  planned to utilize them, something utterly forbidden under the oath I took, and for another, the location changes a lot. If Gaea wishes to utilize the door, I assume she's either found a way to predict where the Doors will move to, or she's chained them down to stay put."

"But Thanatos knows where the Doors are, right?" Frank asked. "If we free him, he can retake them."

"I don't think so," Nico said. "Not alone. He's no match for Gaea. That would take a massive quest…an army of the best demigods.

" _Foes bear arms to the Doors of Death,_ " Reyna said. "That's the Prophecy of Seven…If this begins the ancient prophecy, we don't have resources to send an army to these Doors of Death  _and_  protect the camp. I can't imagine even sparring seven demigods."

"That shall be handled when the time comes, Reyna," Zy said. "First things first. We have to free Thanatos. We cannot waste our time thinking out the entire future of the world before we act. We free Thanatos and the pieces shall fall into place."

"Yeah, that's probably enough for one week," Frank said in a small voice.

"So you  _do_  have a plan?" Octavian asked skeptically.

"We go to Alaska as fast as possible…" Percy began.

"Then we drag Alcyoneus out of Alaska," Zy said. "Take him from his home court, and he's more vulnerable than any of the giants, and we don't even need a god to kill him. With a little effort, I could most likely drag the giant across the U.S., even if he's gonna put up a fight. My team is allowed to assist in this quest, and that means so will I."

"Very well," Reyna said. "Nothing remains except for us to vote what support we can give the quest - transportation, money, magic, weapons."

"Praetor, if I may," Octavian said.

"Oh great," Percy muttered. "Here it comes."

"The camp is in grave danger.  _Two_  gods have warned us we will be attacked four days from now, three if Zyanya wishes to add to the mix. We must not spread our resources too thin, especially by funding projects that have little chance of success." He turned to us with pity. "Mars has clearly chosen the least likely candidates for this quest. Perhaps that is because he considers them the most expendable. Whatever the case, he wisely  _didn't_  order a massive expedition, nor did he ask us to fund their adventure. I say we keep our resources here and defend the camp. This is where the battle will be lost or won. If they succeed, wonderful! But they should do so by their own ingenuity." I saw Emily gripping the table in anger, and I understood why. This guy was worse than Drew, and  _she_  had charm speak on her side.

"The importance of this quest is what brought Mars here in the first place!" I shouted. "The odds may be low in this quest, but that is precisely why the gods are asking for help! Mars came here personally to issue this quest! You've been here, you've been listening! Do you not understand the importance of our success?! If we fail, Gaea will control who returns to this world! Mortals, demigods, the gods themselves will be destroyed, and even should Death remain contained, we will not be able to return! Life and Death itself will be put into the hands of a madwoman if we fail! Maybe the quest has a low chance of success, but that doesn't mean you should give up on it! Not with what's on the line! Or do you see Gaea's victory in your favor? Are you someone she has promised return to?"

"We do not require an army's worth of resources, far from anything that will put a dent in your supplies," Zy said quickly. "I can handle money and any other small necessities. We merely need at least one weapon per person, and my team along with Percy already have our preferences before we even came here. Our powers are more than enough magic for the quest, and my team is properly trained in their abilities for a quest. At the most we require proper transportation. Gaea is an earth goddess, so going overland isn't recommended." Octavian laughed.

"Would you like us to charter you an airplane?"

"No," Percy said. Right, son of a sea god. The air is  _not_  his place. "Air travel…I have a feeling that would be bad. But a boat. Can you at least give us a boat?" Hazel made a grunting sound and we glanced over. She shook her head and mouthed that she was fine.

"A boat!" Octavian turned to the senators. "The son of Neptune wants a boat. Sea travel has never been Roman, but he isn't much of a Roman!"

"Octavian," Reyna said sternly. "A boat is little enough to ask, and providing no other aid seems very-"

"Traditional! It is very traditional. Let us see if these quest-ers have the strength to survive without help, like true Romans!" More muttering filled the chamber, the senators' eyes moving back and forth between Reyna and Octavian, watching the test of wills.

"A boat is all we ask," Zy said. "We do not want to ask more than you're willing to offer, and it will be a chance to show you our power and worthiness of this quest, and of being Romans. And Octavian, a word to the wise. All are entitled to their opinion, but to accuse one of not being a Roman simply because of their birth, as Percy would of course prefer a boat as the son of a sea god, is no better than me calling you inhuman for not offering to help us. Percy did not choose his father, nor was he the one to make the sea travel un-Roman. If you do not learn some respect, I will personally throw you off Mount Olympus and let you fall all the way to Tartarus. Are. We. Clear?" Octavian looked to her, but I saw that her face was stern, the goddess within her raged as well. Everyone in the senate was dead quiet, and Octavian looked to them, realizing they all were looking in his direction. Zyanya showed no signs of being angry, merely dead serious.

"Yes, my Lady," He said. Reyna straightened in her chair.

"Very well then," She said tightly. "We'll put it to a vote. Senators, the motion is as follows: The quest shall go to Alaska. The senate shall provide full access to the Roman navy docked at Alameda. No other aid will be forthcoming. The adventurers will survive or fail on their own merits. All in favor?" Every senator's hand went up. "The motion is passed." She turned to Frank. "Centurion, your party is excused. The senate has other matters to discuss. And Octavian, if I may confer with you for a moment."

Once we got outside, I had never been so glad to see the sun. Hazel picked up a large emerald from the path and slipped it in her pocket. "So…are we pretty much toast?"

"My team will look after you," Zy said. "Though of course the journey will be a challenge."

"If either of you want to back out, I won't blame you," Frank said.

"Are you kidding?" Hazel asked. "And pull sentry duty for the rest of the week?" Percy gazed across the forum for a moment, considering something.

"I'm with you," He told Frank. "Besides, I want to check out the Roman navy." Zy smiled.

"Well…"

"Jackson!" We turned to see Octavian running towards us.

"What do you want?" Percy asked. Octavian smiled.

"Already decided I'm your enemy? That's a rash choice, Percy. I'm a loyal Roman." Frank snarled.

"You backstabbing slimy-" Zy put her arm across Frank's chest and restrained him single handedly.

"Oh dear, hardly the right behavior for a new centurion. Jackson, I only followed you because Reyna charged me with a message. She wants you and Zy to report to the principia without your - ah - lackeys, here."

"Lackeys?!" Audrey asked.

"Reyna will meet you there after the senate adjourns. She'd like a private word with you two before you leave on your quest."

"What about?" Percy asked.

"I'm sure I don't know. The last person she had a private talk with was Jason Grace. And that was the last time I ever saw him. Good luck and goodbye, Percy Jackson."

"You can go now, Octavian," Emily said. Suddenly Octavian seemed to forget what was making him so happy, and I realized Emily had learned to take away emotions along with give them. Another reason to fear her. He shrugged like he could care less about what we talking about.

"Okay. Bye." He walked off, and then Audrey hugged Emily.

"Thank you. You should've shut that freak up ages ago."

"It wouldn't have been wise to do something rash in front of the senate. It wouldn't help our case as being responsible and worthy centurions, huh?" I looked to the fresh brand on my forearm. Now officially a part of the Roman legion, and a centurion at that, all in one day. In my original outfit I had a bag with my Camp Half-Blood necklace inside, which I'd thought to remove before we came to camp just in case they suspected something. With Percy the only one wearing a Camp Half-Blood necklace, we didn't look like we were in cahoots against the camp or something, but still, it felt good to know that I'm a part of the two camps. Percy and Jason are the bridges between the Greeks and Romans, but I'm happy with that. I'd rather just be along for the ride, working in the shadows to assist them.

"We leave after lunch," Zy said. "Percy, come with me. I'll make sure you don't get slaughtered by Reyna or her dogs."


	13. Another Quest Begins

First Person: Lucy

Percy seemed nervous. Couldn't blame him. Everyone in camp should be worried about meeting Reyna in a private conversation. If it weren't for Zyanya, I would've never come to this camp, never  _wanted_  to. Then again, I say that now because I'd settled into a normal life for a while and I adjusted to it with my friends. Maybe if she'd taken me here instead of school when we'd first melded, I'd have been fine with the rough lifestyle. I must be getting soft.

My thirteen stripes came mostly from quests that I'd done while I was here. I'd, in reality, come to this camp four years ago, a similar time to Reyna. Thanks to Zyanya, I was one of the best people here before she even revealed herself, earning the nine stripes from quests that I had, and when she did show her true colors, that raised my rank to goddess. Having a high authority was nice, and I believe Zyanya knew that I wouldn't stand for having someone's rank overpower my own when it came to an argument, so here we are. If I didn't get my way, I'd always use force thanks to my past, so Zyanya quickly fixed that problem for my sake and the camp's. Makes me realize the kind of person I was before I'd met my friends.

Percy was sitting in one of the praetor chairs that he'd pulled to the visitor's side, which maybe wasn't the proper thing to do, but I'd said it'd be fine. Reyna stormed into the principia with her purple cloak billowing and her greyhounds at her feet, looking a little ticked. Octavian had that effect on people, and he was smart with his words. Reyna had only come to this camp four years ago, while Octavian had seven years under his belt. Naturally, he wasn't a warrior like Reyna, and therefore compensated by being good with words, and that must've ticked Reyna off when the brains beat the brawn. I know that it would tick me off, but that's why I make sure to be prepared with brains as well.

"Stay seated," Reyna growled as Percy tried to rise. "You leave after lunch, and we have a lot to discuss." She plunked down her dagger so hard, the jelly-bean bowl rattled. Aurum and Argentum took their posts on her left and right, fixing their eyes on Percy.

"What'd I do wrong?" Percy asked. "If it's about the chair-"

"It's not you." She scowled. "I  _hate_  senate meetings. When Octavian gets talking…" Percy nodded.

"You're a warrior. Octavian is a talker. Put him in front of a senate, and suddenly  _he_  becomes the powerful one." Reyna's eyes narrowed.

"You're smarter than you look."

"Gee, thanks. I hear Octavian might get elected praetor, assuming the camp survives that long."

"Which brings us to the subject to doomsday, and how you might help prevent it. But before I place the fate of Camp Jupiter in your hands, we need to get a few things straight." She sat down and put a ring on the table, a band of silver etched with a sword-and-torch design, like Reyna's tattoo. "Do you know what this is?"

"The sign of your mom. The…uh, war goddess…" I could practically hear him trying to recall her name and coming up with something like bologna. It was something Audrey did quite often, and her brother seemed to be even worse. In a good way, that is.

"Bellona, yes." Reyna scrutinized him carefully. "You don't remember where you saw this ring before? You really don't remember me or my sister Hylla?" Percy shook his head.

"I'm sorry."

"It would've been four years ago."

"Just before you came to camp." Reyna frowned.

"How did you-?"

"You've got four stripes on your tattoo. Four years. Or some of them could be quests, but your reaction says it's four years." Reyna looked at her forearm.

"Of course. It seems so long ago. I suppose you wouldn't recall me even if you  _had_  your memory. I was just a little girl - one attendant among so many at the spa. But you spoke with my sister, just before you and that other one, Annabeth, destroyed our home." Percy concentrated, but there was nothing. Probably for the best, at least for now.

"It's a blank," He said. "Since your dogs aren't attacking me, I hope you'll believe me. I'm telling the truth." Aurum and Argentum snarled as if they were begging him to lie. Reyna tapped the silver ring.

"I believe you're sincere, but not everyone at camp does. Octavian thinks you're a spy. He thinks you were sent here by Gaea to find out our weaknesses and distract us. He believes the old legends about the Greeks."

"Old legends?"

"Some believe Greek demigods still exist, heroes who follow the older forms of the gods. There are legends of battles between Roman and Greek heroes in relatively modern times - the American Civil War, for instance. I have no proof of this, and if our Lares know anything, they refuse to say. But Octavian believes the Greeks are still around, plotting our downfall, working with the forces of Gaea. He thinks you are one of them."

"It's absurd," I said. "Greeks and Romans have no reason to hate each other. Just because you fought once in the past doesn't mean that you must fight now. No one alive has ever participated in the wars fought between Greeks and Romans in the past. Even should Percy be Greek, I highly doubt the Greeks care any for the Romans else they would've come and tried to destroy you already. Think of it. If the Greeks were indeed out there, it means that you'd be facing many more casualties whenever people went out on trips, what with the Romans all bearing your signature purple shirts and speaking Latin. If the Greeks were trying to sabotage you, they would've done so long ago. If they do exist, and you don't know about them, what are the odds they know about you? In the end, you're all demigods trying to survive the curse you've been born under. Yet humans just love to fight, don't they? You'd pick a fight with the nearest monkey just because it could throw a rock at you."

"Do you believe him, Reyna?"

"I believe you came from  _somewhere_ ," She said. "You're important, dangerous. Two gods have taken a special interest in you since you arrived, not to mention Zyanya is vouching for you as well, so I can't believe you'd work against Olympus, or Rome." She shrugged. "Of course, I could be wrong. Perhaps the gods sent you here to test my judgment. But I think…I think you were sent here to make up for the loss of Jason."

"The way you talk about him…Were you two a couple?" Reyna's eyes bored into him, like the eyes of a hungry wolf.

"We might've been, given time. Praetors work closely together. It's common for them to become romantically involved. But Jason was only praetor for a few months before he disappeared. Ever since then, Octavian has been pestering me, agitating for new elections. I've resisted. I need a partner in power, but I'd prefer someone like Jason. A warrior, not a schemer."

"I've given my recommendation and blessing for you, Percy," I said. "My word should be enough to get you in. As long as you succeed in your quest, of course." Percy swallowed.

"Oh…"

"I believe the gods sent you to help me," Reyna said. "I don't understand where you come from, any more than I understood it four years ago, but I think your arrival is some sort of repayment. You destroyed my home once; now you've been sent to save my home. I don't hold a grudge against you for the past, Percy. My sister hates you still, it's true, but Fate brought me here to Camp Jupiter. I've done well. All I ask is that you work with me for the future. I intend to save this camp." Percy seemed to have trouble meeting her eyes.

"Look, I'll help, but I'm new here. You've got a lot of good people who know this camp better than I do. If we succeed on this quest, Hazel and Frank will be heroes. You could ask one of them-"

"Please. No one will follow a child of Pluto. There's something about that girl…rumors about where she came from…No, she won't do. As for Frank Zhang, he has a good heart, but he's hopelessly naïve and inexperienced. Besides, if the others found out about his family history at this camp-"

"Family history?"

"The point is, Percy,  _you_  are the real power on this quest. You and Zyanya's team are seasoned veterans, but Zyanya and her team have elsewhere to be and she recommends you over her group. I've seen what you can do. A son of Neptune wouldn't be my first choice, but if you return successfully from this mission, the legion will be saved. The praetorship will be yours for the taking. Together you and I could expand the power of Rome. We could raise an army and find the Doors of Death, crush Gaea's forces once and for all. You would find me a very helpful…friend." Percy's feet started tapping the floor, anxious to run.

"Reyna…I'm honored and all. Seriously. But I've got a girlfriend. And I don't want power of praetorship." She raised her eyebrows.

"A man who turns down power? That's not very Roman of you."

"But it  _is_  human," I said. "The strongest power is the ability to stand down, ask for help, and choose the less chosen route if it is the right one. That is the  _exact_  reason you are worthy of this. Just consider it. In four days, a choice will be made. We'd all prefer you, but if we are to fail this quest, or we don't come back, or you refuse the offer…well, the legion will work with Octavian."

"I mean to save this camp, Percy Jackson. Things are worse than you realize."

"How bad?" He asked. Reyna's nails dug into the table.

"Even the senate doesn't know the whole truth. I've asked Octavian not to share his auguries, or we'd have mass panic. He's seen a great army marching south, more than we can possibly defeat. They're led by a giant-"

"Alcyoneus?"

"I don't think so. If he is truly invincible in Alaska, he'd be foolish to come here himself. It must be one of his brothers."

"Great, so we've got two giants to worry about."

"And possibly more," I said. "Like Veon said, there are reports of numerous giants being risen, and I have no doubt Gaea's working around the clock to get more."

"Lupa and her wolves are trying to slow them down, but this force is too strong even for them," Reyna said. "The enemy will be here soon - by the Feast of Fortuna at the very latest." Percy's expression darkened. He knew Lupa's pack, and anyone too strong for them is trouble.

"Yes, it's bad, but not hopeless," I said. "If we succeed in bringing back the eagle and free Death so the enemies can actually be killed, this camp stands a chance."

"And there's one more possibility…" Reyna slid the silver ring across the table. "I can't give you much help, but your journey will take you close to Seattle. I'm asking you for a favor, which may also help you. Find my sister Hylla."

"Your sister…who hates me?" Percy asked.

"Oh yes. She would love to kill you. But show her that ring as a token from me, and she may help you instead."

" _May?_ "

"I can't speak for her. In fact…In fact I haven't spoken to her in weeks. She's gone silent. With these armies passing through-"

"You want us to check on her. Make sure she's okay."

"Partially, yes. I can't imagine she's been overcome. My sister has a powerful force. Her territory is well defended. But if you can find her, she could offer you valuable help. It could mean the difference between success or failure on your quest. And if you tell her what's happening here-"

"She might send help?" Reyna didn't answer, but there was obvious desperation in her eyes. The whole camp rested on her shoulders alone, and she needed all the help she could get. I was tempted to stay at the camp and help defend them, but I knew that the journey to free Death was more important, and once we freed him, we could get back here within a few hours if I could find a way to drag them all at top speed. A horse may be a good option. I could use Odin, and maybe the Queen of the Amazons may lend me that one they have. Hylla was the queen of the Amazons, if I recall.

" ** _Ah yes, the Amazons have a new queen since I've been there last,_** " Zyanya said. " ** _Much nicer than the previous one, I must say._** "

"I'll find her," Percy said. "Where do I look? What kind of force does she have?"

"Don't worry. Just go to Seattle. They'll find you." Percy slipped the ring onto his leather necklace with his beads and his probatio tablet. Let's just hope Hylla doesn't jump to conclusions and think Percy killed Reyna and has her ring as a spoil of war…

"Wish me luck."

"Fight well, Percy Jackson. And thank you." Percy and I walked out, but Percy stopped at the doors of the principia.

"How did we destroy your home - that spa where you lived?" The metal greyhounds growled, but Reyna snapped her fingers to silence them.

"You destroyed the power of our mistress. You freed some prisoners who took revenge on all of us who lived on the island. My sister and I…well, we survived. It was difficult, but in the long run, I think we are better off away from that place."

"Still. I'm sorry. If I hurt you, I'm sorry." Reyna gazed at him for a long time, as if trying to translate his words.

"An apology? Not very Roman at all, Percy Jackson. You'd make an interesting praetor. I hope you'll think about my offer." Percy nodded and walked out. I looked to Reyna one last time before we left. We nodded to each other, a silent understanding between the things I've told her of. As much as I wish to tell Reyna everything, because I know that she'd listen unlike most Romans, except maybe Hazel and Frank, but I knew I couldn't. I did know that Reyna would be a trusted ally in the future, and would make a good host for Zyanya should I wear out. I really shouldn't be thinking like that, but my life grows shorter every day, and there was no precise way to dictate how long I had left. If I wore out before Veon passed the trials, all would be for naught, so I had to at least survive until then.

As I walked to lunch with Percy, my mind wandered. Time. The trials. Veon. My brother. He wanted to know about my little brother, and though I refused to think about what happened for a long time now, I knew that Veon wouldn't stop asking. I couldn't tell him, not without mentioning the trials. I'd have to lie about my brother too. How many lies would I have to tell to him, and how worse could I make it when he learned the truth? Gods, he was gonna hate me.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Ve asked as we joined the others at lunch.

"Fine. Not much but a pep talk."

Lunch felt like a funeral party, as people talked in hushed tones, no one particularly happy, and people glancing over at us occasionally like we were the corpses of honor. Reyna made a brief speech wishing us luck, Octavian ripped open a Beanie Baby and pronounced grave omens and hard times ahead, but predicted the camp would be saved by an unexpected hero (whose initials were probably OCTAVIAN). Seriously, I want that augur dead, even if he is somehow related to me. No one at the Apollo cabin back at Camp Half-Blood is anywhere close to him, and Apollo is Apollo on both Greek and Roman, so we should  _not_ be having this problem. In the end, he wants power and the Romans to follow him, not much else. I wasn't kidding when I said I'd throw him from Olympus to Tartarus if he didn't work on his behavior. When we returned from this trip, that would hopefully shut him up.

The other campers went off to their afternoon classes - gladiator fighting, Latin lessons, paintball with ghosts, eagle training, and a dozen other activities that sounded nicer but more boring than a suicide quest. Our troop morale was low, but that would hopefully change once we were on the road. We headed over to the barracks to pack what little we had, but I passed Veon, Audrey and Emily their bags from the last trip with the essentials, ambrosia, nectar, snacks etc. We did get some purple T-shirts, which was nice, as a kind of tribute to Camp Jupiter. I had a scroll of introduction from Reyna that would allow any retired legionnaires to assist us should we show it to them.

One of the bunkmates, Bobby, gave us a ride to the border of the valley on Hannibal the elephant. From the hill tops I could see everything below. The Little Tiber snaked across golden pastures where the unicorns were grazing, the temples and forums of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight, engineers were hard at work on the Field of Mars, pulling down the remains of last night's fort and setting up barricades for a game of deathball. A normal day for Camp Jupiter, but on the northern horizon, storm clouds were gathering. Shadows moving across the hills, and I knew the forces of Gaea were getting closer.

I looked to New Rome, and I knew that we had to protect this place. I wasn't given the privilege of living a normal life like the people down there. I was running from the moment I could walk, and someone else was running for me before that. I'd bargained away any chance I had of living down there when I accepted the goddess, but that didn't mean others should have to go through that same fate that I did. I wasn't just doing what I was for the goddess, I was doing it for the people that would be able to live at the cost of my own life. Of course, it wasn't just my life I was trading, it was Veon's too. But I had a feeling he would be willing to do this for those people even if I told him. But I couldn't. He had to do it without former knowledge, he had to find the solution on his own. The nightmares were surprisingly nice to him so far, but they'll get worse, and I won't be allowed to save him anymore. But I was doing this for them.

We got off the elephant. Bobby wished us a safe journey, and Hannibal gave us a goodbye hug with his trunk. Then the elephant taxi service headed back into the valley. Well, good to finally begin the quest. There was going to be a lot of turmoil in this trip, but we might as well get going. Percy sighed and looked to us, as though he was trying to find something to say.

"IDs please," A familiar voice said. A statue of Terminus appeared at the summit of the hill. The god's marble face frowned irritably. "Well? Come along!"

"You again?" Audrey asked. "I thought you just guarded the city." Terminus huffed.

"Glad to see you too, Mrs. Rule Flouter. Normally, yes, I guard the city, but for international departures, I like to provide extra security at the camp borders. You really should've allowed two hours before your planned departure time, you know. But we'll have to make do. Now, come over here so I can pat you down."

"But you don't have-" Percy began before I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Just humor him," I whispered. Percy sighed.

"Fine." He stood next to the armless statue as Terminus conducted a rigorous mental pat down.

"You seem to be clean," Terminus decided. "Do you have anything to declare?"

"Yes. I declare this is stupid."

"Hmph! Probatio tablet: Percy Jackson, Fifth Cohort, son of Neptune. Fine, go. Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto. Fine. Any foreign currency or, ahem, precious metals to declare?"

"No," Hazel muttered.

"Are you sure? Because last time-"

"No!"

"Well, this is a grumpy bunch. Quest travelers! Always in a rush. Now, let's see - Frank Zhang. Ah! Centurion? Well done, Frank. And that haircut is regulation perfect. I approve! Off you go then, Centurion Zhang. Now, who else? Wait, more centurions? What, are they having a party? Let's see…Emily Hezesto, daughter of Venus…Audrey Mavepo, daughter of Neptune…Zytaveon Kanazoi, son of Pluto. Weird name, bud."

"How is it weird compared to some of the names in Olympian history?!" He asked.

"And Zyanya, also a weird name that sounds nothing like Lucy. Just saying."

"I looked it up on the internet," I said with a deadpan face.

"Well, off you go. Do you need any directions today?"

"No, not really."

"Just down to the BART station," He said anyway. "Change trains at Twelfth Street in Oakland. You want Fruitvale Station. From there, you can walk to take the bus to Alameda."

"You guys don't have a magical BART train or something?" Percy asked.

"Magic trains?!" Terminus scoffed. "You'll be wanting your own security lane and a pass to the executive lounge next. Just travel safely, and watch out for Polybotes. Talk about scofflaws - bah! I wish I could throttle him with my bare hands."

"Wait - who?" Audrey asked. Terminus made a straining expression, like he was flexing his nonexistent biceps.

"Ah, well. Just be careful of him. I imagine he can smell children of Neptune a mile away. Out you go now. Good luck!" An invisible force kicked us across the boundary. When the others looked back, Terminus was gone, along with the whole valley. There was no trace of the cloaked Roman camp.

"Any idea what Terminus was talking about?" Percy asked. "Watch out for…Political something or other?"

"Polybolts?" Audrey guessed.

"Poh-LIB-uh-tease?" Hazel tried.

"Polybotes," I confirmed.

"Never heard of him."

"Sounds Greek," Frank said.

"He's a giant," Emily said.

"Right," Audrey said. "Apposes Neptune. No wonder Terminus said he'd smell us a mile away. I really never heard his name said aloud before. I've only done a little reading about him, so I always pronounced it Polybolts. Close enough."

"Hey, I did the same thing with Thanatos for a while," Veon said. "Called him Thantos and neglected that second "a" until I actually met him and had to correct myself."

"We'd best get moving," I said. "The moment we stepped out that barrier we most likely appeared on the smell radar for every monster within five miles, giant or not."


	14. Off We Go

First Person: Audrey

"Isn't Alameda that place they always go to on Mythbusters?" I asked.

"I believe so," Veon said.

"Don't expect much from the Roman navy to be much," Zy said. It took us two hours to reach the dock in Alameda. Luckily, no monsters attacked. A good start to the quest, even if that probably jinxes us for later. Frank stored his spear, bow, and quiver in a long bag made for skis, Hazel's cavalry sword was wrapped in a bedroll slung on her back, and Veon assured me that the rest of us were properly cloaked through the Mist, a good thing considering Zy was still decked out in her Roman armor (Veon was happily back in his normal outfit, though I hadn't gotten to mention the toga yet). Apparently he had a small bit of control over the Mist from his training in the Underworld. His arsenal of powers grows further every day, even if he says he doesn't have full control over most of them yet.

We walked to Rockridge Station, Zy bought us tickets with some money she pulled out of nowhere (Seriously! Where was this money whenever we went to Starbucks and she couldn't pay?!) and we hopped on the BART train. We got off in Oakland, walked through some rough neighborhoods, though no one bothered us. Whenever the local gang members got close, Emily looked to them with a smile and they walked away as though we were invisible. A couple times, Percy beat her to the punch, giving them a wolf stare he'd most likely learned from Lupa (someone who Emily and I had to train with for a short amount of time under Zy's recommendations) which basically said:  _However bad you think you are, I'm worse_. Emily just waved to them with a smile afterwards, and they quickly scurried away. Really, we had worse things to deal with then gangs, and they were nothing compared to all we'd been through before.

In the late afternoon, we made it to the Alameda docks. I looked out over San Francisco Bay and breathed in the salty sea air. I hadn't lived near the ocean for as long as I can remember, if ever (don't ask me why; blame my traitorous adoptive parents) but while I lived at Camp Half-Blood, I found how nice it really was. I guess it's only natural for a child of a sea god to like the water, but still. This was my father's domain, and we had the upper hand at sea. Dozens of boats were moored at the docks - everything from fifty-foot yachts to ten-foot fishing boats. Nothing that looked like a Roman vessel.

"Um…what are we looking for?" I asked. Hazel and Frank shook their heads and shrugged.

"I didn't even know we  _had_  a navy," Hazel said, with a tone that sounded like she wished there wasn't one.

"You're right, you basically don't," Zy said. She had walked to the end of the dock and leaned down to a tiny boat, like a dinghy, covered in a purple tarp. Embroidered in faded gold along the canvas was  _S.P.Q.R_.

"No way," Percy said.

"Sadly, yes way." She uncovered the boat, working the knots quicker than any human might've, to reveal an old steel rowboat with no oars. The boat had been painted dark blue at one point, but the hull was so crusted with tar and salt it looked like one massive nautical bruise. On the bow, the name Pax was still readable, lettered in gold. Painted eyes drooped sadly at the water level, as if the boat were about to fall asleep. On the board were three benches, some steel wool, an old cooler, and a mound of frayed rope with one end tied to the mooring. At the bottom of the boat, a plastic bag and two empty Coke cans floated in several inches of scummy water.

"Behold, the mighty Roman army," She said sarcastically.

"There's got to be a mistake," Hazel said. "This is a piece of junk."

"The Romans don't like the sea, remember? They rarely ever need to go to sea, they rarely ever want to." I sighed and hopped onto the boat. The hull hummed under my feet, as though responding to my presence. I waved my hand and some of the water picked up the garbage, put it in the cooler and then set it on the dock. Then I removed the scummy water, tossing it overboard. Percy hopped in the boat beside me and pointed at the steel wool. It flew across the floor, scrubbing and polishing so fast, the steel began to smoke. When it was done, the boat was clean. Percy pointed at the rope and it untied itself from the dock. No oars, but the boat would follow Percy and my commands easily.

"This'll do," He said. "Hop in." Zy did so immediately with no trouble and then sat down. Emily followed, though a little slower. Hazel and Frank looked a little stunned, but they climbed aboard too. Veon was pretty slow at getting in, trying very hard not to shake the boat in any way.

"I like solid ground where the skeletons are," He said. I purposefully shook the boat and he jumped clinging to it for dear life. "Not funny Audrey."

"It's pretty funny." The boat shook again, but this time it wasn't me, it was Percy.

"Seriously! I'm just gonna fly beside you if this keeps up."

"That wasn't me!"

"Get off my ship," Percy grumbled.

"Um, what?" Frank asked. Percy waited a moment, but nothing happened.

"Nothing. Let's see what this rowboat can do." He took over driving, turning the boat north, and in no time we were speeding along at fifteen knots, heading for the Golden Gate Bridge. I liked the swaying and free feeling of being on the water, but the Pluto kids did  _not_  look like they were having a nice time. By the time we passed the piers along the San Francisco Embarcadero, both were leaning off the side of the boat and I wondered if they were close to hurling.

"Ve, are you okay?" I asked.

"I liked the helicopter better," He muttered. "How can you stand these things?"

"You mean boats in general?"

"Mm-hm. Couldn't I have just shadow traveled us to wherever the heck we're going? Dad used to jump scare Apollo all the time when he was trying to shoot arrows. He'd laugh when Apollo missed and demolished the wrong country. Or am I thinking of some fan fiction I read online? I get confused sometimes."

"No, I think Hades did that sometimes. Or wait, are we talking about Pluto? I get confused on that too," Zy muttered. She was lying back in the boat, so I couldn't see her face. Don't tell me she was sea sick too. Just as I think that, she started waving her finger and chanting. "The sky is free, the water is thick. The seven seas are making me sick. I don't know why, but I'll try, to get the goddess to help…Zy! What?" She sat up suddenly and her sickness seemed to vanish.

"Don't shake the f-ing boat!" Veon demanded.

"Why is it that the Big Three are brothers but we don't work very well in each other's environment?" Zy asked.

"Because they don't get along. Have you  _ever_  been to an Olympian meeting?"

"Point taken."

"Why?" Emily asked. "What happens at an Olympian meeting?" Veon turned around, looking paler than normal, which was odd considering he was practically a vampire.

"Last time I went, it was a meeting between Ze - um, Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto. The first two got into an argument, and then dad had to try and break them up after he stood there not wanting to get involved, but that got them both to turn on him. Then all three of them started arguing, and I questioned all my life choices before realizing they were brothers and this was probably normal. Not that I really know, I don't have any brothers. Well, I have Nico. He went to help dad today. But technically I only met him a few months ago. I've got plenty of cousins though. Everyone in this boat is my cousin, though technically every god and demigod is somehow related. Zy! I'm dying here. Do some Apollo thing and help me~!" She flicked him in the head and he passed out next to Hazel.

"I am  _never_  giving you guys alcohol," I muttered. We entered the Pacific currents and skirted the rocky coastline of Marin Country.

"You okay?" Frank asked to Hazel.

"Seasickness," She admitted. "I didn't think it would be this bad."

"Wouldn't think Ve would get so dizzy either," I said. "Granted, we lived in Colorado and didn't go boating much. Or flying for that matter." Frank pouted like Hazel's seasickness was somehow his fault and began digging around in his pack.

"I've got some nectar," He offered her. "And some crackers. Um, my grandmother says ginger helps…I don't have any of that, but-"

"It's okay," Hazel said, mustering a smile. "That's sweet of you, though." Frank pulled out a saltine, but it snapped in his big fingers and cracker exploded everywhere. Hazel laughed. "Gods, Frank…sorry. I shouldn't laugh."

"Uh no problem," He said sheepishly. "Guess you don't want that one." Aw, they were so gonna end up together. They were like Veon and Zy, just without the whole goddess thing. Percy had his eyes fixed on the shoreline and pointed inland as we passed Stinson Beach, where a single mountain rose about the green hills.

"That looks familiar," He said, clearly having not been paying attention to the rest of us.

"Mount Tam," Frank said. "Kids at camp are always talking about it. Big battle happened on the summit, at the old Titan base."

"Were either of you there?"

"No," Hazel said. "That was back in August, before I - um, before I got to camp. Jason told me about it. The legion destroyed the enemy's palace and about a million monsters. Jason had to battle Krios. Hand-to-hand combat with a Titan, if you can imagine."

"I can imagine," Percy muttered.

"Yeah," Zy said. "I've fought my fair share of Titans, though it hasn't really been very interesting. It was mostly boom! Dead. Or we talk it out and  _then_  boom! Dead. You know how Titans like to gloat and such…"

Hazel fell asleep next to Veon. They looked nothing alike, but one way or another they were related. It was kinda nice to know Veon had a couple siblings. Being the son of a death god must've made him feel segregated from everyone here in the light. I mean, his first day here after he got back from a few months in the Underworld and he was blinded by the sun. What if he one day falls too deep into the shadows, and we can't get him out? I thought my worries of losing my friends were over after we succeeded in the last quest, but maybe it was just delaying the inevitable. Veon had only grown farther, darker, when he went to the Underworld, and Emily was changing too. For better or worse, she was becoming bolder, more powerful, scarier. She was still there, but also not. And Zyanya…well, she was only getting more and more confusing. She was switching between god and girl more and more often, and there was something she was hiding. I understood she couldn't tell me certain things, but there was a kind of fear within her that Emily told me about. Guilt. Whatever was going on had to be bad, and I wondered if Zyanya could ever make Lu do something she didn't want to. The thought scared me, not only because of what could happen, but also that there would be nothing we can do to stop it.


	15. Dreams of the Past

First Person: Zytaveon

I was having a dream about my mother talking about my dad when I was little. Better than a nightmare; much better. My mother would always say my dad was a god, and I guess she was being literal. Before I knew it, Zeus took my life away from me. I got mine back, but my mother wasn't so lucky. I asked dad, and he said he'd used the Lethe to erase my memories before he'd sent me back to my life. Great. Nico had apparently been dumped in the Lethe as well. Was this always Hades' solution to making his sons forget their mother's death? (Hazel didn't count because she technically had  _Pluto_  as a father).

I sat in my room, under the covers in my bed. It was a small room, but it was enough for me, just a bed, a desk, a small closet and a window. My mother sat next to little me, the light on and the sky outside dark, so it seemed my mother was telling me about my dad as a bed time story. My memories of her were slowly returning, enough that I could see her face. On her middle finger, was her ring from my father. This was how I knew her. Protected, always.

" _Your father always wants to look out for you,_ " My mother said. " _Keep that in mind._ "

" _I know._ "

" _He will have to make hard choices in the future, but always know that if something bad happens, he will always love you._ " I don't blame dad for taking my memories after what happened. If he hadn't, I probably would've woken up one day to find the mother and father I'd loved were gone in a flash. I would've been scarred forever, and from such a young age…I know my father did what he had to.

" _It's okay. I don't blame him._ "

" _And don't blame that nice girl of yours either._ "

" _Huh?_ " Zyanya? Why would I blame her? And wait…this was the past, right? I was in my mother's apartment, in my room. She couldn't have known about Zy. Wait, I was sleeping. My mother knew everything that I did. She was just a figure of my imagination. Ever since my memories of my mother have been returning, I'd wished I could speak with her, see her face in person, show her the person I've become. I've had dreams about meeting her before back when I was in the Underworld. I guess this was another one.

" _What do you mean, "Don't blame her?" Why would I?_ "

" _There is something you must realize about her._ "

" _What?_ "

" _See through the mask she wears. She feels empty, with no purpose. Her power comes from the goddess, her summons are never her own, and even before that, any abilities she had were just borrowed from her bloodline. Let her tell you of her past, and you will see how hurt she is inside. Then, when the time comes, hear her words. Understand her actions, and only then can your heart make the final call._ " Final call…I know I've heard that before. I was too drowsy to remember from where, so right now I didn't care.

" _Okay, mom._ "

" _Now tell me of your adventures. How have your studies been going? I expect you to be going to college in a year._ " I sighed.

" _But_ mom _-_ " Thankfully I was torn from my soon-to-be-nightmare just in time as I woke to find myself in one of Hazel's blackouts. I guess I  _had_  fallen asleep next to her, after all. I instantly felt Hazel's memories pouring into me, revealing more of her past.

Their rental house was a clapboard box suspended on pilings over the bay. When the train from Anchorage rolled by, the furniture shook and the pictures rattled on the wall. At night, Hazel fell asleep to the sound of icy water lapping against the rocks under the floorboards. The wind made the building creek and groan. They only had one room, with a hot plate and an icebox for a kitchen. One corner was curtained off for Hazel, where she kept her mattress and storage chest. She'd pinned her drawings and old photos of New Orleans on the walls, but that only made her homesickness worse.

Her mother was rarely home. She didn't go by Queen Marie anymore. She was just Marie, the hired help (Hazel's words, not mine). She'd cook and clean all day at the diner on Third Avenue for fishermen, railroad workers, and the occasional crew of navy men. She'd come home smelling like Pine-Sol and fried fish. At night, Marie Levesque would transform. The Voice took over, giving Hazel orders, putting her to work on their horrible project. Winter was the worst. The Voice stayed longer because of the constant darkness. The cold was so intense, Hazel thought she would never be warm again.

When summer came, Hazel couldn't get enough of the sun. Every day of summer vacation, she stayed away from home as long as she could, but she couldn't walk around town. It was a small community. The other kids spread rumors about her - the witch's child who lived in the old shack by the docks. If she came too close, the kids jeered at her or threw bottles and rocks. The adults weren't much better. Hazel could've made their lives miserable, given them diamonds, pearls, or gold. Up here in Alaska, gold was easy. There was so much in the hills, Hazel could've buried the town without half trying. But she didn't really hate the locals for pushing her away. She couldn't blame them.

She spent the day walking the hills. She attracted ravens. They'd caw at her from the trees and wait for the shiny things that always appeared in her footsteps. The curse never seemed to bother them. She saw brown bears too, but they kept their distance. When Hazel got thirsty, she'd find a snowmelt waterfall and drink cold, clean water until her throat hurt. She'd climb as high as she could and let the sunshine warm her face. It wasn't a bad way to pass time, but she knew eventually she'd have to go home.

Sometimes she thought about her father, that strange pale man in the silver and black suit. Hazel wished he's come back and protect her from her mother, maybe use his powers to get rid of that awful Voice. If he was a god, he should be able to do that. She looked up at the ravens and imagined they were his emissaries. Their eyes were dark and maniacal, like his. She wondered if they reported her movements to her father. But Pluto had warned her mother about Alaska. It was a land beyond the gods. He couldn't protect them here. If he was watching Hazel, he didn't speak to her. She often wondered if she had imagined him. Her old life seemed as distant as the radio programs she listened to, or President Roosevelt talking about the war. Occasionally the locals would discuss the Japanese and some fighting on the outer islands of Alaska, but even that seemed far away - not nearly as scary as Hazel's problem.

One day in midsummer, she stayed out a little later than usual, chasing a horse. She'd seem it first when she had heard a crunching sound behind her. She turned and saw a gorgeous tan roan stallion with a black mane - just like the one she'd ridden her last day in New Orleans, when Sammy had taken her to the stables. It could've been the same horse, though that was impossible. It was eating something off the path, and for a second, Hazel had the crazy impression it was munching one of the gold nuggets that always appeared in her wake.

"Hey fella," She called. The horse looked at her warily. Hazel figured it must belong to someone. It was too well groomed, its coat too sleek for a wild horse. If she could get close enough…What? She could find its owner? Return it?

" ** _No,_** " She thought. " ** _I just want to ride it again._** " She got within ten feet, and the horse bolted. She spent the rest of the afternoon trying to catch it - getting maddeningly close before it ran away again. She lost track of time, which was easy to do with the summer sun staying up so long. Finally, she stopped at a creek for a drink and looked at the sky, thinking it must be around three in the afternoon. Then she heard a train whistle from down the valley and realized it had to be the evening run to Anchorage, which meant it was ten at night.

She glared at the horse, grazing peacefully across the creek, but this time there was another horse appeared beside the tan one, midnight black, and yet it also seemed to shimmer with a silver sheen. That one certainly drew my attention. Hazel noticed it too, but still looked annoyed.

"Brought a buddy did you? Are you two trying to goad me and get me in trouble?" The horses whinnied. Then…the horses sped away in a blur of black and tan, faster than forked lightning - almost too quick for her eyes to register. Hazel didn't understand how, but the horses were  _definitely_  gone. She stared at the spot where the horses had stood, a wisp of steam curling from the ground. I was equally mystified by the horses, especially the black and silver one, but the train whistle echoed through the hills again, and Hazel realized how much trouble she was in. She ran for home, and I was dragged along with her.

Her mother wasn't there. For a moment, Hazel was relieved. Maybe her mom had to work late. Maybe tonight they wouldn't have to make the journey. Then she saw the wreckage. Hazel's curtain was pulled down, her storage chest was open and her few clothes strewn across the floor, her mattress shredded as if a lion had attacked it. Worst of all, her drawing pad was ripped to pieces, and her colored pencils were all broken. Pluto's birthday gift, Hazel's only luxury, had been destroyed. Pinned to the walls was a note in red on the last piece of drawing paper, in writing that was not her mother's.

 _Wicked girl. I'm waiting at the island. Don't disappoint me_.

Hazel sobbed in despair. She wanted to ignore the summons. She wanted to run away, but there was nowhere to go. Besides, her mother was trapped. The Voice had promised that they were almost done with their task. If Hazel kept helping, her mother would be freed. Hazel didn't trust the Voice, but she didn't see any other option.

She took the rowboat - a little skiff her mother had bought with a few nuggets from a fisherman, who had a tragic accident with his nets the next day. They only had one boat, but Hazel's mother seemed capable on occasion of reaching the island without any transportation. Hazel had learned not to ask about that. Even in midsummer, chunks of ice swirled in Resurrection Bay. Seals glided by her boat, looking at Hazel hopefully, sniffing for fish scraps. In the middle of the bay, the glistening back of a whale raked the surface.

As always, the rocking of the boat made her stomach queasy. She stopped once to be sick over the side. She sun was finally going down over the mountains, turning the sky blood red. She rowed towards the bay's mouth. After several minutes, she turned and looked ahead. Right in front of her, out of the fog, the island materialized - an acre of pine trees, boulders, and snow with a black sand beach. If the island had a name, she didn't know it. Once, Hazel had made the mistake of asking the townsfolk, but they had stared at her like she was crazy.

"Ain't no island there," One old fisherman said. "If there were, my boat would've run into it a thousand times."

Hazel was about fifty yards from the shore when a raven landed on the boat's stern. It was a greasy black bird almost as large as an eagle, with a jagged beak like an obsidian knife. Its eyes glittered with intelligence, so Hazel wasn't surprised when it talked.

"Tonight," It croaked. "The last night." Hazel let the oars rest. She tried to decide if the raven was warning her, or advising her, or making a promise.

"Are you from my father?" She asked. The raven tilted its head.

"The last night. Tonight." It pecked at the boat's prow and flew towards the island.

" ** _The last night,_** " Hazel told herself, deciding to take it as a promise. " ** _No matter what she tells me, I will_** **make** ** _this the last night._** " That gave her enough strength to row on. The boat slid ashore, cracking through a fine layer of ice and black silt. Over the months, Hazel and her mother had worn a path from the beach into the woods. She hiked inland, careful to stick to the trail. The island was full of dangers, both natural and magical. Bears rustled in the undergrowth, and glowing white spirits, vaguely human, drifted through the trees. Hazel didn't know what they were, but she knew they were watching her, hoping she'd stray into the clutches.

A the center of the island, two massive black boulders formed the entrance to a tunnel. Hazel made her way into the cavern she called the Heart of the Earth. It was the only truly warm place Hazel had found since moving to Alaska. The air smelled of freshly turned soil. The sweet, moist head made Hazel feel drowsy, but she fought to stay awake. She imagined that if she fell asleep here, her body would sink into the earthen floor and turn to mulch.

The cave was as large as a church sanctuary, like the St. Louis Cathedral back him on Jackson Square. The walls glowed with luminescent mosses - green, red, and purple. The whole chamber thrummed with energy, an echoing  _boom, boom, boom_  that reminded Hazel of a heartbeat. Perhaps it was just the sea's waves battering the island, but Hazel didn't think so. This place was alive. The earth was asleep, but it pulsated with power. Its dreams were so malicious, so fitful, that Hazel felt herself losing her grip on reality. Gaea wanted to consume her identity, just as she'd overwhelmed Hazel's mother. She wanted to consume every human, god, and demigod that dared to walk across her surface.

" ** _You all belong to me,_** " Gaea murmured like a lullaby. " ** _Surrender. Return to the earth._** "

" ** _No,_** " Hazel thought. " ** _I'm Hazel Levesque. You can't have me._** " Marie Levesque stood over the pit. In six months, her hair had turned as gray as lint, she'd lost weight, her hands were gnarled from hard work. She worse snow boots and waders and a stained white shirt from the diner. She never would have been mistaken for a queen.

"It's too late," Her mother's frail voice echoed through the cavern. Hazel realized with a shock that it was  _her_  voice - not Gaea's.

"Mother?" Marie turned. Her eyes were open. She was awake and conscious. This should've made Hazel feel relieved, but it made her nervous. The Voice had never relinquished control while they were on the island.

"What have I done?" Her mother asked helplessly. "Oh, Hazel, what did I do to you?" She stared in horror at the thing in the pit. For months they'd been coming here, four or five nights a week as the Voice required. Hazel had cried, she'd collapsed with exhaustion, she'd pleaded, she'd given in to despair. But the Voice that controlled her mother had urged her on relentlessly.

" ** _Bring valuables from the earth. Use your powers, child. Bring my most valuable possession to me._** "

At first, her efforts had only brought scorn. The fissure in the earth had filled with gold and precious stones, bubbling in a thick soup of petroleum. It looked like a dragon's treasure dumped in a tar pit. Then, slowly, a rock spire began to grow like a massive tulip bulb. It emerged so gradually, night after night, that Hazel had trouble judging its progress. Often she concentrated all night on raising it, until her mind and soul were exhausted, but she didn't notice any difference. Yet the spire  _did_  grow.

Now Hazel could see how much she'd accomplished. The thing was two stories high, a swirl of rocky tendrils jutting like a spear tip from the oily morass. Inside, something glowed with heat. Hazel couldn't see it clearly, but she knew what was happening. A body was forming out of silver and gold, with oil for blood and raw diamonds for a heart. Hazel was resurrecting the son of Gaea. He was almost ready to wake.

"I'm sorry, Hazel," Her mother said, falling to her knees and weeping. "I'm so sorry." She looked helpless and alone, horribly sad. Hazel should've been furious.  _Sorry?_  She'd lived in fear of her mother for years. She'd been scolded and blamed for her mother's unfortunate life. She'd been treated like a freak, dragged away from her home in New Orleans to this cold wilderness, and worked like a slave by a merciless evil goddess.  _Sorry_  didn't cut it. She should have despised her mother. But she couldn't make herself feel angry.

Hazel knelt and put her arm around her mother. There was hardly anything left of her - just skin and bones and stained work clothes. Even in the warm cave, she was trembling.

"What can we do?" Hazel asked. "Tell me how to stop it." Her mother shook her head.

"She let me go. She knows it's too late. There's nothing we can do."

"She…the Voice?" Hazel was afraid to get her hopes up, but if her mother really was freed, then nothing else mattered. They could run away, back to New Orleans. "Is she gone?" Her mother glanced fearfully around the cave.

"No, she's here. There's only one more thing she needs from me. For that, she needs my free will." Hazel didn't like the sound of that, and I had to agree. Hazel, I realized instantly. I knew the darkness, I knew how a heard could be twisted. And I knew instantly Hazel was the only bargain that would make her mother do something when she had her free will.

"Let's get out of here," Hazel urged. "That thing in the rock…it's going to hatch."

"Soon," Her mother agreed. She looked at Hazel so tenderly…Hazel couldn't remember the last time she'd seen that kind of affection in her mother's eyes. She felt a sob building in her chest. "Pluto warned me. He told me my wish was too dangerous."

"Your…your wish?"

"All the wealth under the earth. He controlled it. I wanted it. I was so tired of being poor, Hazel. So tired. First I summoned him…just to see if I could. I never thought the old  _gris-gris_  spell would work on a god. But he courted me, told me I was brave and beautiful…" She stared at her bend, calloused hands. "When you were born, he was so pleased and proud. He promised me anything. He swore on the River Styx. I asked for all the riches he had. He warned me the greediest wishes cause the greatest sorrows, but I insisted. I imagined living like a queen - the wife of a god! And you…you received the curse." Hazel felt as if she were expanding to the breaking point, just like that spire in the pit. Her misery would soon become too great to hold inside, and her skin would shatter.

"That's why I can find things under the earth?"

"And why they only bring sorrow." Her mother gestured listlessly around the cavern. "That's how  _she_  found me, how she was able to control me. I was angry at your father. I blamed him for my problems. I blamed you. I was so bitter, I listened to Gaea's voice. I was a fool."

"There's got to be something we can do. Tell me how to stop her." The ground rumbled, and Gaea's disembodied voice echoed through the cave.

" _My eldest rises, the most precious thing in the earth - and you have brought him back from the depths, Hazel Levesque. You have made him anew. His awakening cannot be stopped. Only one thing remains._ " Hazel clenched her fists. She was terrified, but now that her mother was free, she felt like she could confront her enemy at last. This creature, this evil goddess, had ruined their lives. Hazel wasn't going to let her win. How I wished I could be there for Hazel, but this was the past, and only a movie that I could do nothing but watch.

"I won't help you anymore!" She declared.

" _But I am done with your help, girl. I brought you here for one reason only. Your mother required…incentive._ " Hazel's throat constricted.

"Mother?"

"I'm sorry, Hazel. If you can forgive me, please - know it was only because I loved you. She promised to let you live if-"

"If  _you_  sacrificed yourself. She needs you to give your life willingly to raise that…that  _thing._ "

" _Alcyoneus,_ " Gaea said. " _Eldest of the giants. He must rise first, and this will be his new homeland - far from the gods. He will walk these icy mountains and forests. He will raise an army of monsters. While the gods are divided, fighting each other in this mortal World War, he will send forth his armies to destroy Olympus._ " The earth goddess's dreams were so powerful, they cast shadows across the cave walls - ghastly shifting images of Nazi armies raging across Europe, Japanese planes destroying American cities.

Hazel finally understood. The gods of Olympus would take sides in the battle as they always did in human wars. While the gods fought each other to a bloody standstill, an army of monsters would rise in the north. Alcyoneus would revive his brother giants and send them forth to conquer the world. The weakened gods would fall. The mortal conflict would rage for decades until all civilization was swept away, and the earth goddess fully awakened. Gaea would rule forever.

" _All this because your mother was greedy and cursed you with the gift of finding riches. In my sleeping state, I would have needed decades more, perhaps even centuries, before I found the power to resurrect Alcyoneus myself. But now he will wake, and soon, so shall I!_ " With terrible certainty, Hazel knew what would happen next. The only thing Gaea needed was a willing sacrifice - a soul to be consumed for Alcyoneus to awaken. Her mother would step into the fissure and touch that horrible spire - and she would be absorbed.

"Hazel, go," Her mother ordered, rising unsteadily. "She'll let you live, but you must hurry." Hazel believed it. That was the most horrible thing. Gaea would honor the bargain and let Hazel live. Hazel would survive to see the end of the world, knowing that she'd caused it.

"No," Hazel said, her decision made. "I won't live. Not for that." She reached deep into her soul, calling on her father, the Lord of the Underworld, and summoned all the riches that lay in his vast realm. The cavern shook. Around the spire of Alcyoneus, oil bubbled, then churned and erupted like a boiling cauldron.

" _Don't be foolish,_ " Gaea said, but Hazel detected concern in her tone, maybe even fear. " _You will destroy yourself for nothing! Your mother will still die!_ " Hazel almost wavered. She remembered her father's promise: someday her curse would be washed away; a descendant of Neptune would bring her peace. He'd even said she might find a horse of her own. Maybe one of the strange stallions in the hills was meant for her. But none of that would happen if she died now. She'd never see Sammy again, or return to New Orleans. Her life would be thirteen short, bitter years with an unhappy ending. But she met her mother's eyes. For once, her mother didn't look sad or angry. Her eyes shone with pride.

"You were my gift, Hazel," She said. "My most precious gift. I was foolish to think I needed anything else." She kissed Hazel's forehead and held her close. Her warmth gave Hazel the courage to continue. They would die, but not as Gaea's sacrifices. Instinctively, Hazel knew that their final act would reject Gaea's power. Their souls would go to the Underworld, and Alcyoneus would not rise - at least not yet. And that was a truth not many humans saw. Hazel's mother wanted her daughter to live, but in the end, all that would do is make her suffer more. What was Hazel's life compared to everything else? She would die anyway, but this way, she would die and the world was guaranteed time at the least. And that, was well worth her life compared to the alternative.

Hazel summoned the last of her willpower. The air turned searing hot, the spire began to sink, jewels and chunks of gold shot from the fissure with such force, they cracked the cavern walls and sent shrapnel flying, stinging Hazel's skin through her jacket. But she didn't stop. She would destroy this place until she couldn't anymore. She would bury this place, the giant, for as long as she could. She'd by time at the least, and then someone else could take it from there. All that mattered was Hazel had made her choice, and she was not going to turn back.

" _Stop this!_ " Gaea demanded in vain. " _You cannot prevent his rise. At best, you will delay him - a few decades. Half a century. Would you trade your lives for that?!_ " Hazel gave her answer.  _The last night_ , the raven had said. There was no way Hazel would let that giant live. She and her mother had nothing to give, nothing but their lives. If that could stop Gaea, save millions of other lives, then it was worth it.

The fissure exploded. The roof crumbled. Hazel sank to into her mother's arms, into the darkness, as oil filled her lungs and the island collapsed into the bay.


	16. Her Story

First Person: Zytaveon

"Hazel!"

"Veon!"

"Come on, please! Wake up!"

"I have an idea."

"AH-! Zyanya! I'm going to kill you! You can't just try and wake me up like that EVERY DAMN TIME!" Why did she always seem to kick me there when I'm already awake? Sadly, there was no sympathy from the others and I was left to recover on my own. When I gathered my bearings, I found we were on solid ground (bless that fact), it was night time, the sky blazing with stars, and my stuff lay next to me. We seemed to be on a cliff overlooking a beach, the ocean glinting in the moonlight maybe a hundred feet away. The surf washed gently against the stern of our beached boat. To our right, hugging the edge of the cliff, was a building like a small church with a searchlight in the steeple. A lighthouse. Behind us, fields of tall grass rustled in the wind.

I sat up, happy to have the solid and unmoving ground beneath me. It was just the fact that a boat wouldn't stay still that made me uneasy, and at least in a helicopter you could stand and sit in a solid metal cabin, or I had my lance to support me when I was flying. A boat just left me feeling like it could slip out beneath me at any moment, as there wasn't any friction. Now, don't get me wrong, I like swimming, and if the boat were bigger like a ship, I feel stable. It was just the tiny boat that could barely hold all of us and moved so easily that freaked me out. And it wasn't the falling in the water part either. It was just the lack of certainty. If only the rest of my uncertainty problems could be solved as easily as just getting out of a boat.

"Where are we?" Hazel asked. Frank exhaled in relief.

"Thank the gods you're awake!"

"We're in Mendocino, about a hundred and fifty miles north of the Golden Gate," Zy said a little more helpfully.

"A hundred and fifty miles?" Hazel asked in disbelief. "I've been out  _that_  long?" Percy knelt beside her, the sea wind sweeping his hair. He put his hand on her forehead as if checking for a fever.

"We couldn't wake either of you. Finally we decided to bring you ashore. We thought maybe the seasickness-"

"It wasn't seasickness." She took a deep breath. I remembered Nico's warning, that this could happen in a battle, and I knew Hazel would inform them of the problem, considering it posed a serious risk during the quest. "I-I haven't been honest with you. What happened was a blackout. I have them once in a while."

"A blackout?" Frank asked, taking Hazel's hand. "Is it medical? Why haven't I noticed before?"

"I try to hide it. I've been lucky so far, but it's getting worse. It's not medical…not really. Nico says it's a side effect of where he found me."

"Where exactly did Nico find you?" Percy asked. Hazel hesitated. It was only natural for her to be worried about telling people she came back from the dead. But if she blacked out when we needed her most…well, none of us wanted the others unprepared. I was tempted to explain, but I wanted her to tell the story, and would only speak up if she asked me to.

"I'll explain," She promised. She clawed through her pack, but didn't seem to come up with what she was looking for. "Is…is there anything to drink?"

"Well…my water bottle's for combat, and not really for drinking…" Audrey began. "I  _could_  give you some, but, well…No offense or anything. It's just…it's more of a weapon that I prefer to be equipped with at all times. I like having as much water as I can."

"I think I have something," Percy said before muttering curse in Greek. "That was dumb. I left my supplies down at the boat." Hazel shouldered her pack and sword.

"Nevermind. I can walk…"

"Don't even think about it," Frank said. "Not until you've had some food and water. I'll get the supplies."

"No, I'll go," Percy said. He glanced at Frank's hand on Hazel's, before he then scanned the horizon as if he sensed trouble, but there was nothing to see - just the lighthouse and the field of grass stretching inland. "You guys stay here. I'll be right back."

"You sure?" Hazel asked. "I don't want you to-"

"I'll go with you," Audrey said. "I wouldn't let anyone go alone considering there are most likely monsters just waiting to ambush us when we split up. Besides. Two Neptune kids at the beach? A monster's worst nightmare."

"I'll come too," Emily said.

"Okay," Percy said. "Keep your eyes open. Something about this place…I don't know."

"There's definitely something up," Zy said. "But then again, that's not really new. Buddy system it is. No doubt you two won't have many troubles at the beach, right? Not to mention an Emily. Enough said. We'll be fine. Go." The three of them nodded and dashed off. Zy sat down next to me and took my wrist, going doctor mode.

"What did you see?" She asked quietly. "Start from the beginning." I sighed.

"It started with a dream of my mother. She said stuff about forgiving dad for something. And then forgiving you."

"Did she now? What'd she say?"

"Just stuff about you and…how you…should be yourself, you know? Not controlled by the goddess, not summoning other people's creations, or thinking you get everything from other people like your bloodline. You're you, and no one makes you that way." She looked down and began fiddling with an invisible piece of lint on her armor.

"Your mother…or your unconscious mind…seems to have quite the imagination."

"But is that how you feel?"

"Personally? No. I've never thought about it that way before. I know I'm me, I know all my power doesn't come from others, that's not how I feel. At least, that's not how I've interpreted it before. I summon other people's ideas, yeah, no copyright intended, honestly, but that's because they're genuinely good ideas. Credit where credit is due. My parents and grandparents give me some abilities, cool, I appreciate it. The goddess does a lot for me too, giving me things beyond anything in this world. I…I know I'm still me though. Really, I do."

"You don't sound certain."

"Well, a lot of my life does revolve around the goddess, but I'm fine with it that way. I'm not really the kind of person who wants a normal life. I never had one, and when I did, I quickly tired of it. The only real reason I stayed in school for as long as I did was because the goddess forced me to. Said I needed a  _social life_  and to  _get along with people_. Can you believe it?" I laughed. "She made me  _talk_  to people. Like, just for no reason. Walk up to a random person and strike a conversation. Apparently, it's what normal people do. And I had to  _remember people's names_. Do you know how tiring that is? The first part of my life, I called myself "me" and "I." Not to mention the fact that I rarely ever spoke aloud since there weren't many people to talk to in my lifestyle. I'd never made an effort to remember people's names before, and now I suddenly have to remember an entire school's worth?"

"Yeah, I wasn't a people person either. At least until I met you guys."

"Remember the day we met?"

"You mean the first day of school where you and I sat at the back of the class because both of us hated talking to people? We literally didn't speak that day, or that week, or that month."

"Yep. Good times. Finally, a person that shared my views on society. As in: it sucks."

"Then I realized that when you  _do_  open your mouth, you speak your mind like there's no tomorrow."

"Well isn't that what high school teenagers are supposed to do? Keep a conversation going by talking about trivial things and making them sound like they're important?"

"Hm, well yeah, basically."

"Mortals are weird. Anyway, your reaction says that I did a good job in acting my way through high school. Maybe it's the goddess helping me, maybe it's the Apollo, but either way, drama is my thing. Not surprising that the first place you and I actually talked and became friends was the drama department." She blamed her talent on the goddess and/or her relation to Apollo. Has she always been this way, believing that nothing she does is just because of her and not someone else? Now that I'd noticed it, the idea would be impossible to ignore.

"You should tell me more about your past before the goddess. What did you do?" She shrugged and looked down, picking at something in the grass. I hoped that I wasn't pushing her beyond her comfort zone, but I didn't need to be Emily to know that she wanted to get something off her chest.

"Not much, really. Before Zyanya, it was mostly running. My father tried looking after me for my infancy, but he died when I was around four or five. I think I was in the U.K. at that point, and my dad had taught me to speak Japanese, so I didn't understand the locals. Lived on the streets, tried to survive and such with the monsters coming after me too. I stole for food only, and I relied on my healing for any injuries I got, but it was really hard. Eventually, I moved around for more safety, going through Europe to Russia, and then heading south to China. My goal was Japan. I wanted to find my father's family, maybe gain their help, maybe tell them my dad was gone. Once I made it there, though, I found my dad's family was already gone. I didn't want to try and go back the way I came, since I didn't want to return to the U.K., but there was an ocean between me and North America. Getting on a boat would be harder than previously, since there was farther to go and longer to stay hidden. There'd be no where to go if I was forced to jump ship because I was caught, and I didn't want to get caught by the authorities after my, uh, notoriety I'd gained.

"While I was considering the boat, I met my little brother. He…well, I met him in an orphanage I was taken to while I was looking for my dad's family. He'd apparently been there a while, and he was a smart troublemaker. He was the one who came up with the idea to escape, since we were practically on lockdown there." She smiled in thought. "He made a deal that I had to take him with me wherever I went if I wanted his help, and just to make sure I couldn't get out of the deal, he turned his efforts on making sure I couldn't escape. He was such a pain in the arse , doing things and then blaming me for them so perfectly. He knew the place better than me, so I was at a disadvantage. But we also grew closer in my stubbornness to not give in to his blackmailing. I learned he was a demigod, a son of Hermes. We bonded over poetry and such since Hermes has a little poetry in his description, but also survival. We know that it's hard to survive the world as children of the gods, and our powers come at the cost of our lives.

"We ran away together. He was such an adorable little dork. He was around two or three years younger than me, and he didn't have his powers since he was too young, but his quick and cunning ability to steal and prank seemed to have been with him since birth. Not to mention he was pretty athletic and literate, though he was ADHD like me. That made it hard for me to look after him and his…hyperactive personality. But it was worth that smile on his face. I felt like a mother at some points, but he called me "sister" one day and it stuck. Technically, Hermes is a son of Zeus so we would be cousins, but I liked it when he called me sister, and when I got to call him brother.

"Then…well…the goddess appeared while we had split up after a heist. After that, life got more and more dangerous for us. My little brother didn't know about the goddess, nor was I allowed to tell him. He did suspect something was up, but Zyanya wouldn't let him figure anything out, even with his Hermes flare. But things came after the goddess, and she…she only cared for me. He died in an accident, and I didn't know how to use my powers at the time. It was all so new, so sudden, and…and while I was struggling to figure out what the hell to do he…he protected me. I watched him die and couldn't do anything because I was panicking and couldn't act fast enough."

"That wasn't your fault," I said.

"And it wasn't the goddess's either. She…she wasn't used to being in my body, she didn't know what the emotions I felt were. All she had were observations of humans to go on. She didn't realize how much he meant to me until he was gone and felt what I did. Then she understood how close he was to me. I don't blame her for what happened, I don't  _want_  to blame anyone. But I can't bring myself to go to the Underworld and search for him. I don't think I could stand seeing him, explaining how I lied to him about the goddess."

"I could…come with you, if you ever do decide to go see him. I mean…it's possible he chose rebirth, but he sounds like the kind of person who'd wait for you in Elysium. And yeah, he sounds like the kind of person I'd send to Elysium were I to judge him. I took a vow to be fair and consider all factors of a person's soul and life before I judge him, but from what you've told me, even though he was a trickster, he had reasons, and died to protect you. What's his name?"

"Kaze. Kaze Grigora. Or Chikara, since he considered himself my brother. Or Grigora-Chikara, since we're all about the hyphen. He insisted his name should go first, and I wasn't one to deny him that. I always wonder if I may one day join him for an eternity in Elysium, or whether I'll be denied that right."

"Well from what I can see, there's no reason you wouldn't."

"Don't judge a soul by its body. There's a lot in this head, a lot in my past. If put on a scale, I'm not positive that my good would outweigh my bad."

"All the best heroes have bad pasts. Has the 21st century not taught you anything?" She smiled.

"Quite possibly. But the 21st century, along with the millennia of knowledge the goddess gave me has also taught me to never be sure of anything except your inevitable demise. The gods remain only as long as people remember them, similar to Final Fantasy XIII-3, you know? If no one remembers them, they can die in that way. Not to mention if they're killed by the giants. Humans know they'll die within a century, maybe just a little more for those who are lucky. Gods don't know if one day they may cease, what will happen to them if they do. If Demeter were to be destroyed, does that mean all agriculture will cease as well? Zyanya within me, she doesn't know what will happen if she disappears, what kind of imbalance will happen if and when she does."

"Well she chose you as a host, so I don't see her dying any time soon."

"She has maybe ten years within a host before they burn out, and as time goes by, there are less and less hosts worthy of her power, so they can hold her for even less time. It's a terrible loop hole she's been caught in, spiraling to her destruction and demise. She could just be banished, like with Ouranos, as he was killed yet the sky is still here, but the more likely option is that havoc will come down upon the human race. And that's what Gaea wants, her gone so that she gets to rule the world and such."

"Wait,  _ten years?_ " She winced, as though she just realized she'd said too much. "How long have you had her within you? Are you going to…burn out soon?"

"No, not soon. I am the most powerful host she's claimed in years. I will live many decades, and that's coming from her. I just can't overstrain myself, and I know my limits. Don't worry about it."

"How can I not? Why did you neglect to mention this crucial detail?"

"I didn't want you to worry like you currently are. There's nothing to be concerned of, and I accept these risks when I accepted the goddess. Look, you should know that humans are going to die anyway. Better of my own choice than of some monster coming to get me while I'm an old woman. If you were in my position, chosen to protect a goddess whose life depends on you, would you turn her down just because it was dangerous, just because there's a high risk of your own death? I'm a demigod, Veon, not just any demigod but a granddaughter of two major gods, one being…" She looked to Hazel and Frank, but they were deep in conversation, Frank having figured out Hazel's secret and comforting her (they were so gonna end up together, it was so sweet). "…Zeus. And I'm a daughter of a goddess of  _power_. Do you know how many monsters are trying to claim my life? Or worse, try and  _use_  me. Drain me like a battery, torture me as a bargaining chip for my mother. The monsters came before I was even born, Ve, and they'll never stop, they'll only get worse. Having the goddess within me isn't a curse. That came long before she ever showed up on my doorstep."

"I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean…I'm just worried about you."

"I'm touched, but I don't need your concern. I don't know why I even told you this…" She took a deep breath.

"Because you need to tell  _someone_. Maybe Emily would be a bit better since she's practically a born therapist, but I…I'm glad it was me. Does that sound selfish?"

"A little. Look, just…don't treat me any differently, okay? And don't tell anyone about this. Even the others. And  _never_ ,  ** _EVER_**  mention my brother. I…" She clenched her hands into fists and I was pretty sure she was going to draw blood. "I don't want to think about that."

"I'm sorry."

"Just promise me. This conversation  _never_  happened."

"Okay. I promise."

"On the River-?" But she stopped herself and suddenly went on alert.

"What?" She pulled up a fist of grass and then let it drop back to the ground.

"The wind's stopped." I focused and realized she was right. "Do you feel that?"

"You mean the vibrations on the ground that are currently coming our way?"

"Yes."

"Is that just me, or do you think its…?" Dark shapes rippled through the field.

"Hazel!" Frank shouted. He tried to grab her arms, but it was too late as something knocked him backward.

"Veon look-!" Zy began before she was suddenly tossed back like she'd been punched. I tried to move to help her, when something grabbed me and pulled me back with so much force I felt the wind knocked out of me. A grassy hurricane wrapped around me like a tidal wave and dragged me back into the fields.


	17. Karpoi, Cyclopes, Giants, and Ding Dongs

First Person: Zytaveon

I was fine with swimming, I was fine with flying, but this was more dizzying than being caught in a tsunami or a tornado. Now I'd been through some rigorous training in the Underworld, including walking through a mine field through a hurricane and avoiding deadly shrapnel (my teacher was a little on the extreme side), but this was certainly new. It felt like I was trapped in a funnel cloud of plants. I couldn't sit up, I couldn't touch the ground, I was so dizzy I'm not sure I could've shadow traveled, and the plants made sure to keep me that way so I couldn't get a grip on my sword or summon my lance. They tossed me around, slicing at any exposed skin they could get to. I saw stars through a tumble of green, yellow and black, but I'm not sure if they were the real stars or if that was just my head. I think I heard someone's shouting getting farther away, Frank since it was a male voice, and there was Zy who was trying to grab onto me or use the winds to rise me out of the field, but that only made me dizzier as the grass fought to keep me. I jolted to a stop a few times thanks to her telekinesis, but then when she got a hold of me, Hazel slammed into me (probably a purposeful move of the grass things) and we all went flying again, me, Zy and Hazel being thrown into a tangle of limbs that didn't help with my ability to gather my bearings.

I concentrated on finding anything that could help us, trying to ignore the tumbling and tossing. I got into a zone, focusing more on my powers than my physical pain and disorientation, and searched for a plan. As we flew by, I felt a huge cold spot pass beneath us. Hazel sensed it too, and both of us locked onto it with all our might, gripping it like we were dropping a mental anchor. Suddenly the ground rumbled, the swirl of plants released us, and we were thrown upward like a catapult projectile.

"Ve!" Momentarily weightless, I opened my eyes and found my bearings again, using my lance on my arm to balance myself in the air. I was about twenty feet in the air, and Hazel was falling to the ground nearby. But she'd trained in the Roman legion, twisting her body in midair, tucking into a roll, turning the impact into a somersault, and coming up standing. She unslung her bedroll and drew her sword as I floated down and joined her, drawing mine as well.

"Guys!" Zy called. A few yards to our left, an outcropping of rock the size of a garage jutted from the sea of grass with her on top, waving to us. That must've been the anchor we used. The grass rippled around it, angry voices hissing in dismay at the massive clump of stone that had broken their progress. "Get on!" We quickly did so, clambering to the top. The grass swayed and rustled around us like the tentacles of a gigantic undersea anemone.

"Can't grow in this, can you?!" Hazel yelled. "Go away, you bunch of weeds! Leave us alone!"

"Schist," Said an angry voice from the grass.

"Excuse me?" Zy asked as though the grass had just cursed at her. I guess, technically, it did.

"Schist! Big pile of schist!"

"Um…" I muttered, unsure of how to respond. Then, all around our rock island, the kidnappers materialized from the grass. At first glance, the kidnappers looked like Valentine angels - a dozen chubby little Cupid babies. As they stepped closer, I realized they were neither cute nor angelic. They were the size of toddlers, with rolls of baby fat, but their skin had a strange greenish hue, as if chlorophyll ran through their veins. They had dry, brittle wings like corn husks, and tufts of white hair like corn silk, their faces were haggard, pitted with kernels of grain, their eyes were solid green, and their teeth were canine fangs.

"Oh, great," Zy said sarcastically.

"You know what these are?" I asked. She nodded halfheartedly. Before she could explain, the largest creature stepped forward. He wore a yellow loincloth, and his hair was spiky, like the bristles on a stalk of wheat. He hissed at us and waddled back and forth so quickly, I was afraid his loincloth might fall off.

"Hate this schist!" She creature complained. "Wheat cannot grow!"

"Sorghum cannot grow!" Another piped up.

"Barley!" Yelled a third. "Barley cannot grow. Curse this schist!"

"You mean the rock?" I asked. "This rock is called a schist?"

"Yes, greenstone! Schist!" The first creature yelled. "Nasty rock."

"It's a precious stone," Hazel said. "It's valuable?"

"Bah!" Said the one in the yellow loincloth. "Foolish native people made jewelry from it, yes. Valuable? Maybe. Not as good as wheat."

"Or sorghum!"

"Or barley!" The others began to chime in, calling out different types of grain. They circled the rock, making no effort to climb it - at least not yet. Zy and I might be able to get Hazel high enough in the air that we'd be out of their reach, but they were fast, and it wouldn't be a good idea to lead them back to Percy, Frank, Audrey and Emily if they didn't know what they were dealing with.

"Who are these guys?" I asked Zy. "Servants of Gaea?" She nodded.

"Karpoi, grain spirits. Children of Gaea. They were her attendants since basically forever. Before humans cultivated them, they were wild."

"We will begin again," The yellow-diapered karpoi declared. "Wheat will destroy all!"

"No, sorghum will rule!"

"Barley shall dominate!"

"I'm personally more of a grape person, but you know, what-eves," Zy muttered. The others joined in once more, each karpos cheering for his own variety.

"Right…" Hazel said. "So you're Wheat, then - you in the yellow, um, britches."

"Hmmmm," Wheat muttered. "Come down from you schist, demigods. We must take you to our mistress's army. They will reward us. They will kill you slowly!"

"Hm, tempting," I said. "How slowly we talking here?"

"Very slowly!"

"Yeah, great, but no thanks," Hazel said.

"I will give you wheat!" He said, as if this were a very fine offer in exchange for our lives. "So much wheat!" I tried to search the shadows nearby to see where the others were. How long until they found us? We needed to keep the attention on us so that they weren't ambushed when they came after us, but the karpoi seemed to be getting bolder, approaching the rock in twos and threes, scratching at the schist to see if it would hurt them.

"How do you defeat karpoi or…karpos?" I whispered to Zy.

"Uh…fire? Whacking them real hard? Remember, their ashes will come back really fast, so we need to have a goal in mind before we do anything. Besides, sometimes these guys are dumb enough to give information."

"Before we get down…" Hazel said loudly, hoping to draw the attention of the others. "Um, explain to me something, will you? If you're grain spirits, shouldn't you be on the god's side? Isn't the goddess of agriculture Ceres-"

"Evil name!" Barley wailed.

"Cultivates us!" Sorghum spat. "Makes us grow in disgusting rows. Lets humans harvest us. Pah! When Gaea is mistress of the world again, we will grow wild, yes!"

"Well, naturally," Zy said. "So this army of hers, where you're taking us in exchange for wheat-"

"Or barley," Barley offered.

"Of course. This army is where now?"

"Just over the ridge!" Sorghum clapped his hands excitedly. "The Earth Mother - oh, yes! - she told us: "Look for the children of Pluto who live again. Find them! Bring them alive! I have many tortures planned for them." The giant Polybotes will reward us for your lives! Then we will march south to destroy the Romans. We can't be killed, you know. But you can, yes."

"That's wonderful!" I said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "So, you can't be killed because Alcyoneus has captured Death, is that it?"

"Exactly!" Barley said.

"Man, his disappearance gave me  _so_  much extra paperwork. Have you guys ever tried to do paperwork for a guy as big as Death? Not fun. I should just send him the paperwork in the mail. He's currently chained in Alaska, right? At…let's see, what's the name of that place?" Sorghum started to answer, but Wheat flew at him and knocked him down. The karpoi began to fight, dissolving into funnel clouds of grain. When Wheat re-formed, he had Sorghum in a headlock.

"Stop!" He yelled. "Multigrain fighting is not allowed!" I was gonna make a cereal joke, but couldn't think it up properly before the karpoi solidified into chubby Cupid piranhas again. Wheat pushed Sorghum away. "Oh, clever demigod. Trying to trick us into giving secrets. No, you'll never find the lair of Alcyoneus."

"I already know where it is," Hazel said with false confidence. "He's on the island in Resurrection Bay."

"Ha! That place sank beneath the waves long ago. You should know that! Gaea hates you for it. When you thwarted her plans, she was forced to sleep again. Decades and decades! Alcyoneus - not until the dark times was he able to rise."

"The 1980's," Barley agreed. "Horrible! Horrible!"

"Gotta agree with 'em," Zy said. "None of you want to live in the 80's."

"Yes, and our mistress  _still_  sleeps," Wheat said. "Alcyoneus was forced to bide his time in the north, waiting, planning. Only now does Gaea begin to stir. Oh, but she remembers you, and so does her son!" Sorghum cackled with glee.

"You will never find the prison of Thanatos. All of Alaska is the giant's home. He could be keeping Death anywhere! Years would it take you to find him, and your poor camp has only days. Better your surrender. We will give you grain. So much grain."

"Yes, give up," Wheat agreed.

"Please," I said casually when I sensed the shadows. "Alcyoneus is in that place. Right, Zy? It's what? A few miles from Canada?"

"Yes. About ten or more miles wide," She agreed. "I forget that name. But it's in that place. Stupid, really, for a giant to choose such a place. Point is, we know where we're going. So, who's ready for a roast? Now!" There was a whistling sound before Wheat froze, looking down at a golden arrow that had just pierced his chest. Then he dissolved into pieces of Chex Mix.

While the monsters, not to mention Hazel, were frozen, Zy jumped down, summoning her pure white sword, and I joined her, drawing my Stygian sword, and we slashed away. Frank, Percy, Audrey and Emily jumped into to open, joining us in massacring every source of fiber we could find. Frank shot an arrow through Barley, who crumpled into seeds, Percy slashed Riptide through Sorghum, Audrey sent out slashes of water that turned to ice and sliced Millet and Oats to bits, while Emily shouted "Surrender to our might, evil cereal things!" Within minutes, the karpoi had been reduced to piles of seeds and various breakfast cereals. When Wheat started to reform, Zy turned her sword to light and held her hands out, setting them alight with balls of flame.

"Try it," She dared. "I'll set this whole field on fire. Stay dead. Stay away from us, or the grass gets it!" The fire spread up her arms and the rest of her body until she was a human torch. Frank winced like the flame terrified him. Couldn't blame him, really. Not everyone has the honor(?) of meeting Valdez and getting used to someone setting themselves on fire (do not try at home unless you are a demigod who knows they are fire-proof).

"She'll do it!" I said. "She's crazy!" The remnants of the karpoi scattered in the wind, Frank climbing the rock to watch them go. Zy extinguished herself and tried to flick the smoke still coming off her away.

"I didn't need the crazy comment," She said.

"But you are," Audrey said.

"Audrey!" Emily scolded.

"Sorry it took us so long," Percy said. "How'd you hold them off so long?"

"A big pile of schist," Hazel said, pointing to the rock.

"Excuse me?"

"Guys," Frank called from the top of the rock. "You need to see this." Zy floated upwards and I followed her to see what he was looking at. When we did, we quickly lowered behind the rock again to join the others.

"Percy, no light!" I hissed quietly. "Put up your sword!"

"Schist!" She touched his sword tip and Riptide shrank back into a pen.

Down below was an army on the move. The field dropped into a shallow ravine, where a country road wound north and south. On the opposite side of the road, grassy hills stretched to the horizon, empty of civilization except for one darkened convenience store at the top of the nearest rise. The whole ravine was filled full of monsters - column after column marching south, so many and so close, I was amazed they hadn't seen us before when we were shouting atop this very rock. We crouched against the rock, watching as several dozen large, hairy, humanoids passed by, dressed in tattered bits of armor and animal fur. They had six arms each, three sprouting on either side, so they looked like cavemen evolved from insects.

"Gegenees," Zy whispered.

"Earthborn," I remembered.

"You've fought them before?" Percy asked.

"Yeah," Audrey said. "They're strong, can manipulate rocks into shapes then solidify them into deadly projectiles, and if you can't instantly send them to Tartarus, like we currently can't…bad news."

"I've only ever heard of them in monster class back at camp," Hazel said. "I believe in monsters and all, but there are some that seemed just…way too hard to believe."

"Believe 'em, Hazel," Zy said. "Each and every one can be real."

"The Earthborn fought the Argonauts. And those things behind them-"

"Centaurs," Percy said. "But…that's not right. Centaurs are  _good_  guys."

"That's not what  _we_  were taught at camp," Frank said. "Centaurs are crazy, always getting drunk and killing heroes."

"I have a centaur friend," Emily muttered. The centaurs were dressed in barbarian armor of hide and bronze, armed with spears and slings. They appeared to have helmets, but then I realized they had actual horns jutting from their shaggy hair. "Wait…are they supposed to have bull horns?"

"Maybe it's a special breed," I said. "Let's not ask them, okay?"

"My gods…Cyclopes," Percy muttered. Sure enough, lumbering after the centaurs was a battalion of one-eyes ogres, both male and female, each about ten feet tall, wearing armor cobbled out of junkyard metal. Six of the monster were yoked like oxen, pulling a two-story-tall siege tower fitted with a giant scorpion ballista. Percy pressed the sides of his head. "Cyclopes. Centaurs. This is wrong. All wrong." The army was enough to make anyone afraid, but there was something else going on with Percy. I looked to Audrey to confirm my suspicion, and I was not happy to see I was right. She had her head to the rock like she had a headache, and seemed to be losing color, turning pale and sickly.

"We need to get back to the boat," I said. "We need water."

"No argument," Frank said. "There are too many of them. The camp…we have to warn the camp."

"They know," Percy groaned. "Reyna knows." The legion could never fight off so many monsters, not for long, especially if they were un-killable. If they were only a few hundred miles north of Camp Jupiter, our quest might already be doomed. We needed a faster way to get to Alaska, not to mention an even faster way to get back.

"Come on, let's…" Hazel began before we saw the giant.

When he appeared over the ridge, I grunted. Porphyrion, giant opposed to Zeus/Jupiter, Alcyoneus, giant opposed to Hades/Pluto, and just because we needed the package deal, Polybotes, giant opposed to Poseidon/Neptune. (Wait, why did two of the three start with P? Wait, why don't those two match with the two gods that start with P? These are the questions we should be asking, people.) He was taller than the siege tower - thirty feet, at least - with scaly reptilian legs like all giants from the waist down, and green-blue armor from the waist up. His breastplate was shaped like rows of hungry monstrous faces, their mouths open as if demanding food. His face was human, but his hair was wild and green, like a mop of seaweed. As he turned from side to side, snakes dropped from his dreadlocks. One: viper dandruff? Two: I hope those won't come after us considering we have two children of his enemy right here. He was armed with a massive trident and a weighted net. The trickiest, sneakiest, most evil combat style I knew in my short months of training: retiarius.

"Who is he?" Frank asked, his voice quivering. "That's not-"

"Not Alcyoneus," I said. "Yeah. One of his brothers. Remember Terminus mentioned him? That's Polybotes." I felt the giant's aura of power from here. It was different from Enceladus and Porphyrion, but he was still powerful, a creature of the earth so malevolent, he seemed to radiate his own gravity field. "We need to leave."

"Hold on," Zy said. "Slip a little farther down, but keep watching." We did so. As the giant got close, a Cyclops woman broke ranks and ran back to speak with him. She was enormous, fat, and horribly ugly, wearing a chain-mail dress like a muumuu, similar to Ma Gasket, but compared to the giant, she looked like a child. She pointed to the closed-up convenience store on top of the nearest hill and muttered something about food. The giant snapped back an answer, as if he was annoyed. The female Cyclops barked an order to her kindred, and three of them followed her up the hill. When they were halfway to the store, a searing light turned night into day. I was blinded and ducked behind the rock. It was bad enough that the sun was still a slight bother to me, but this was terrible. Below us, the enemy army dissolved into chaos, monsters screaming in pain and outrage.

"Too pretty!" The Cyclopes shrieked. "Burns our eye!" I squinted and looked again to see the store on the hill was encased in a rainbow, closer and brighter than I'd ever seen. The light was anchored at the store, shooting up unto the heavens, bathing the countryside in a weird kaleidoscopic glow. The lady Cyclops hefted her club and charged at the store, but as she hit the rainbow, her whole body began to steam. She wailed in agony and dropped her club, retreating with multicolored blisters all over her arms and face.

"Horrible goddess!" She bellowed at the store. "Give us snacks!" The other monsters went crazy, charging the convenience store, then running away as the rainbow light burned them. Some threw rocks, spears, swords, and even pieces of their armor, all of which burned up in flames of pretty colors. Finally the giant leader seemed to realize that his troops were throwing away perfectly good equipment.

"Stop!" He roared. With some difficulty, he managed to shout, push, and pummel his troops into submission. When they'd quieted down, he approached the rainbow-shielded store himself and stalked around the borders of the light. "Goddess! Come out and surrender!" No answer from the store. The giant raised his trident and net. "I am Polybotes! Kneel before me so I may destroy you quickly!" Apparently, no one in the store was impressed. A tiny dark object came sailing out the window and landed at the giant's feel. "Grenade!" He covered his face and his troops hit the ground. Zy held her hand over her mouth and nose to cover a fit of laughter. When the thing didn't explode, Polybotes bent down cautiously and picked it up before roaring in outrage.

"A Ding Dong?!" He bellowed. "You dare insult me with a Ding Dong?!" He threw the cake back at the shop and it vaporized in the light.

"That was embarrassing," Emily muttered. The monsters rose back to their feet, muttering hungrily.

"Ding Dongs? Where Ding Dongs?"

"Let's attack," The lady Cyclops said. "I am hungry. My boys want snacks!" Her boys…? No, it couldn't be…could it?

"No!" Polybotes said. "We're already late. Alcyoneus wants us at the camp in four days' time. You Cyclopes move inexcusably slow. We have no time for  _minor_  goddesses!" He aimed his comment at the store, but got no response. The lady Cyclops growled.

"The camp, yes. Vengeance! The orange and purple ones destroyed my home. Now Ma Gasket will theirs! Do you hear me, Leo?! Jason?! Piper?! Emily?! Audrey?! Zytaveon?! I come to annihilate you!" Great, it  _was_  Ma Gasket. I knew she revived, but I didn't think she'd be in this crowd of all crowds out there.

"Why was my name last?" I complained.

"At least your name was said," Zy responded. The other Cyclopes bellowed in approval to Ma Gasket, and then the rest of the monsters joined in.

"Jason," Hazel whispered. "She fought Jason. He might still be alive. Do you guys know him?"

"We've tangoed with that Cyclops and her boys a few times," Zy said. "But not with this Jason. It seems Jason and this Leo and Piper have made an even bigger imprint than we did."

"I don't know of any Leo or Piper back at camp," Hazel said. The Cyclops had said "orange and purple ones"…I wondered if she knew that there were two camps or if she thought there was only one and thought orange and purple were just two colors representing it. Percy had shown up in a tattered orange T-shirt, and I guessed that the trained Roman soldiers Hazel and Frank were beginning to put the pieces together.

If only the Cyclops didn't say our names too and made Zy have to lie to our friends. There were already enough things we were going to have to clear up when we got back to Camp Jupiter. Let's see…our story was that Audrey and Emily were normal runaway kids who've survived on their own but were recently trained by Lupa, while I'm from the Underworld and met Lupa maybe once or twice. All of us were gathered by the goddess Zyanya, and then taken to Camp Jupiter by her along with Nico di Angelo. Keeping a story that was a lie was hard, especially when everything was destined to be found out. I just hoped we hadn't told too many lies or deviations from the truth that we'd have to clear up later.

Below us, the army began to march south again, but the giant Polybotes stood to one side, frowning and sniffing the air. Oh, of course he'd sense Percy and Audrey. One of them would be bad enough, but two of them were like a homing beacon to their dad's mortal enemy so close. He turned in our direction, but we were already ducking behind the rock and out of view.

"Sea god," The giant muttered. "I smell sea god." Percy and Audrey were shaking like they were cold, and Emily and I pressed them against the rock as best we could, Emily obviously trying to send waves of calmness through them since she couldn't risk using her voice. Ma Gasket snarled.

"Of course you smell sea god! The sea is right over there!"

"More than that. I was born to destroy Neptune. I can sense…" He frowned, turning his head and snaking out a few more snakes.

"Do we march or sniff the air?" Ma Gasket scolded. "I don't get Ding Dongs, you don't get sea god!" I had never been happier to have that Cyclops here, especially when Polybotes growled and responded.

"Very well. March! March!" He took one last look at the rainbow-encased store, then raked his fingers through his hair. He brought out three snakes that were larger than the rest, white markings around their necks. "A gift, goddess! My name, Polybotes, means "Many-to-Feed!" Here are some hungry mouths for you. See if your store gets any customers with these sentries outside." I had been taught well in the Underworld, and I knew those snakes dropping were deliberate. Even if the giant didn't come after us, and even if he moved on, those snakes would remain, not just for the goddess in the store, but for us. They'd track us down. The giant laughed wickedly and threw the snakes into the tall grass on the hillside. Then he marched south, his massive Komodo legs shaking the earth. Gradually, the last column of monsters passed over the hills and disappeared into the night. Once they were gone, the blinding rainbow shut off like a spotlight, and I instantly felt better.

"That was different," Frank muttered.

"I've seen weirder," Zy said. Percy and Audrey were shuddering violently, and Emily was trying to sooth them as best she could. Going back the way we came to the boat sounded like a dangerous idea, especially with two of our guys down. Defending was always hard, even with Zy on our team. She put her hands on each of the children of Poseidon (Neptune) and began muttering a hymn. Though their shaking stopped, they then seemed close to passing out from exhaustion.

"I need a better place to do this," She said. "And they need somewhere better to rest than a rock. Who knows how long the karpoi will stay away? I can only summon fire for so long."

"Let's go to the store," Hazel said. "If there's a goddess inside, maybe she can help."

"Except a bunch of snake things are guarding the hill now," Frank said. "And that burning rainbow might come back."

"We've got to try," I said.

"I think we can handle the snakes, and Iris should be nice to us," Zy said. "Besides, it's better than staying here." Frank nodded grimly.

"Well…any goddess who throws a Ding Dong at a giant can't be all bad. Let's go."


	18. Turmoil

First Person: Lucy

Why the heck did I allow myself to tell him? Everything just came pouring out. I luckily restrained myself from the more important details, the ones that would make him  _really_  worry, but I also had to tell lies. Speaking about my brother was hard enough, but lying about him, knowing that a lie was the last thing he knew about me…it was angering. So many lies…And so far, many haven't been worth it. I just hope these final ones are. But I don't think I can stand seeing my friends with that same expression my brother had when he learned the truth. I clenched my fist just at the thought. Memories were flooding in again.

We were twenty yards from the porch when something hissed in the grass behind us. Good, something to get my anger out on. I was vaguely aware of Hazel helping Percy to the store and Emily helping Audrey while Frank and Veon drew their weapons. All I knew was that I was going to strangle these snakes with my bare hands, I was so angry.

My little brother…memories of you should bring me happiness. I should relish the memories of your life instead of dwelling on the one moment of your death. But I can never forget, I can never move on. Whether I want to, or whether something is preventing me, all I know is that you shouldn't have had to die, and if I'd only acted, maybe you wouldn't have. Now, I lie about your death, as though I can forget what happened, change the horror to nothing but a bittersweet story. What I did, what I've done, what I'm doing. Can I ever find peace for it? Veon says he would send me to Elysium, but I know better. Now, I may do to him what I did to you. I can't ask for forgiveness, and I won't try to. Instead, all I can do is soldier through these days, until I either atone, or I am punished.

Frank fired a signal flare arrow (most likely aiming for an exploding arrow) and it skidded through the grass, bursting into orange flame and whistling  _WOO_. It did illuminate the monster, and that was all I needed. Sitting in a patch of withered yellow grass was a lime-colored snake as short and thick as maybe Veon's arm. Its head was ringed with a mane of spiky white finds, and it stared at the arrow zipping by as if it was wondering, " _What the heck is that thing?_ " It looked to Frank and then advanced like an inchworm, hunching up in the middle. Wherever it touched, the grass withered and died. The snake hissed blowing flames from his mouth.

"Yeah, buddy?" I asked. "Hiss at this." I stepped on his body and he writhed. It was a basilisk, I'm sure of it, and if it weren't for my invincible combat boots, the thing would've burnt through my shoe and to my skin already. I lifted my foot and the snake shot up to me. I grabbed it by its body before it could bite my face off and began to squeeze it as tightly as I could. It was burning my skin now but I couldn't care less. I welcomed the pain. I deserved worse. The anger at my helplessness, my sadness, my guilt, and my regret surged through me, and I squeezed the snake ever further. The goddess didn't need to help me at this point, and while the snake writhed around, smacking my arms, legs, torso and face because I was only holding it at one small part, I felt small cuts and burns forming along me. But I ignored it, I let the pain seep into me. The other two basilisks tried to assist their ally, launching at me and wrapping around my arms to try and bit my biceps. The pain was terrible now, but I still didn't care. They couldn't do any worse than what I've felt over the past few years, what I've felt all my life.

"Zyanya!" Someone smacked one of the basilisk off my right arm, and then someone smacked the other off my left. I threw the basilisk in my hand as far away as I could, trying to expel the last of my anger, that twisting in my gut, the pain that's far worse than any snake bite. But it didn't do anything. The pain was still searing through me and it barely made me feel numb. I followed Frank and Veon back to the store, Frank having to drop his bow since he'd used it to smack one of the basilisks away and now it was disintegrating. Veon had used his father's lance, which allowed it to stay intact, even if it was still steaming where he'd made contact. Great, I was the reason Frank lost his bow. As a granddaughter of Apollo, I felt very guilty about that, and it only added to my pain.

We headed up the steps of the porch, and when we turned, we saw two of the basilisks circling in the grass, breathing fire and turning the hillside brown with their poisonous touch. The third had landed a ways away and turned to ash thanks to my football throw, but these days it was hard to kill anything, and the monster reformed before a trail of dying grass showed it returning back to us. They didn't seem able or willing to come closer to the store, but that didn't make me feel much better.

"We'll never get out of here," Frank said miserably, clearly unhappy about the loss of his bow.

"Then we'd better go in," Hazel said, pointing to the hand-painted sign over the door:  **RAINBOW ORGANIC FOODS & LIFESTYLES**. Ah, right. This was Iris's place, wasn't it? I slipped an earpiece into my right ear and it began playing music, both to calm me and heal my wounds. We stepped inside and the lights came on. Flute music started up like we'd walked onto a stage. The wide aisles were lined with bins of nuts and dried fruit, baskets of apples, and clothing racks with tie-dyed shirts and gauzy Tinker Bell-type dresses. The ceiling was covered in wind chimes, and along the walls, glass cases displayed crystal balls, geodes, macramé dream catchers, and a bunch of other strange stuff that Zyanya could probably identify. Incense must've been burning somewhere, since it smelled like a bouquet of flowers was on fire.

"Fortune-teller's shop?" Frank wondered.

"Hope not," Hazel muttered. Percy leaned against her, looking like he'd been hit with a sudden flu, something that could happen if you get on Apollo's bad side, considering he could give you any plague with his arrows. His face glistened with sweat.

"Sit down…" He muttered. "Maybe water."

"Yeah, that sounds really good," Audrey said, not looking too much better and leaning on Emily.

"Yeah," Veon said. "We should find you guys a place to rest. You feel like you're half dead."

"Veon!" Emily scolded.

"Sorry." The floorboards creaked under our feet as we walked, and I tried to use the sound to map out the place (echo location trick I got from Apollo). Frank navigated between two Neptune statue fountains, when a girl suddenly popped up from behind the granola bins.

"Help you?" She asked. Frank lurched backwards in surprise, knocking over one of the fountains. I quickly dived for it, grabbing it just before it hit the ground, but inertia and the sudden stop caused a good deal of the water to splash out, spraying a rack of tie-dyed man satchels behind me. Oh, yeah, not to mention me too.

"Sorry!" Frank apologized quickly before kneeling to try and help me stabilize the fountain. He almost goosed the girl with his spear that was on his back.

"Eek!" She squeaked. "Hold on! It's okay!"

"I got it, Frank," I said. He straightened slowly, clearly embarrassed by the trouble he was causing. Hazel looked mortified, Emily was smiling in apology, Percy and Audrey looked sick, and Veon was shrugging like "yeah, I've done that too at some point in my life." The girl clapped her hands, the fountain and water disappearing.

"Really, it's no problem," She said to Frank. "Those Neptune fountains are so grumpy-looking, they bum me out." She was short and muscular, with lace-up boots, cargo shorts, and a bright yellow T-shirt that read  _R.O.F.L. Rainbow Organic Foods & Lifestyles_. She looked young, but her hair was frizzy white, sticking out on either side of her head like the white of a giant fried egg. Her irises seemed to change color from gray to black to white, which was mesmerizing for some reason.

"We're sorry about the fountain," Emily said. "We were just-"

"Oh, I know!" She said. "You want to browse. It's all right. Demigods are welcome. Take your time. You're not like those awful monsters. They just want to use the restroom and never buy anything!" She snorted, her eyes flashing with lightning.

"Are you Fleecy?" I asked, using Zyanya's reserves of memory. She was having to go into hibernation more often these days, as she continued to grow weaker, but I could still utilize her mind and some of her power even so.

"Your name is Fleecy?" Hazel asked.

"Well, in the language of nebulae, it's actually-" I made a serious of crackling and blowing noises that sounded kind of like a thunderstorm giving way to a nice cold front, something the Zeus in me could appreciate.

"Nebulae…" Percy muttered in a daze.

"Yes, like cloud nymphs."

"Yes," Fleecy said. "Usually  _no one_  knows about cloud nymphs. But dear me, you don't look good. Come to the back. My boss wants to meet you. We'll get your friends fixed up." She led us through the produce aisle, between rows of eggplants, kiwis, lotus fruit, and pomegranates. At the back of the store, behind a counter with an old-fashioned cash register, stood a middle-aged woman with olive skin, long black hair, rimless glasses, and a T-shirt that read:  _The Goddess Is Alive!_  She wore amber necklaces and turquoise rings and smelled like rose petals.

"Hello!" She leaned over the counter, which was lined with dozens of little statues - waving Chinese cats, meditating Buddhas, Saint Francis bobble heads, and novelty dippy drinking birds with top hats. "So glad you're here!"

"Hey, Iris," I said. Hazel's eyes widened.

"Not  _the_  Iris - the rainbow goddess?" Iris made a face.

"Well, that's my  _official_  job, yes. But I don't define myself by my corporate identity. In my spare time, I run this!" She gestured around her proudly. "The R.O.F.L Co-op, an employee-run cooperative promoting healthy alternative lifestyles and organic food." Frank stared at her.

"But you throw Ding Dongs at Monsters." Iris looked horrified.

"Oh, they're not Ding Dongs." She rummaged under the counter and brought out a package of chocolate-covered cakes that looked exactly like Ding Dongs. "These are gluten-free, no-sugar-added, vitamin-enriched, soy-free, goat-milk-and-seaweed-based cupcake simulations."

"All natural!" Fleecy added.

"I stand corrected," Frank said. Iris smiled.

"You should try one Frank. You're lactose intolerant, aren't you?"

"How did you-?"

"I know these things. Being the messenger goddess…well, I do learn a lot, hearing all the communications from the gods and so on." She tossed the cakes on the counter. "Besides, those monsters should be glad to have some healthy snacks. Always heading junk food and heroes. They're so  _unenlightened_. I could have them tromping through my store, tearing up things and disturbing my feng shui." Percy leaned against the counter, him and Audrey looking like they were going to throw up all over the goddess's feng shui.

"Monsters marching south," He said with great difficulty. "Going to destroy our camp. Couldn't you stop them?"

"Oh, I'm strictly nonviolent. I can act in self defense, but I won't be drawn into Olympian aggression, thank you very much. I've been reading about Buddhism. And Taoism. I have decided between them."

"But…" Hazel began, looking mystified. "Aren't you a Greek goddess?" Iris crossed her arms.

"Don't try and put me in a box, demigod! I'm not defined by my past."

"Um, okay. Could you at least help our friends here? I think they're sick." Percy reached across the counter.

"Iris-message," He said. "Can you send one?"

"Iris-message?" Frank asked.

"It's…" Percy faltered. "Isn't that something you can do?" Iris studied Percy more closely.

"Interesting. You're from Camp Jupiter, and yet…oh, I see. Juno is up to her tricks. As well as you, Zyanya. You look a tad scratched up, darling." I looked to my arms, legs and torso to see the small scratches and burns that were still healing. I shrugged.

"Yeah, basilisks and a bad day."

"What?" Hazel asked. Iris glanced at Fleecy and then me as we had a silent conversation. Then the goddess pulled a vial from behind the counter and sprayed some honeysuckle-smelling oil around Percy and Audrey's faces.

"There, that should balance your chakra. As for Iris messaging - that's an ancient way of communication. The Greeks used it, but the Romans never took to it - always relying on their road systems and giant eagles and whatnot. But yes, I imagine…Fleecy, could you give it a try?"

"Sure boss!" Iris winked.

"Don't tell the other gods, but Fleecy handles most of my messages these days. She's wonderful at it, really, and I don't have time to answer all those requests personally. It messes up my wa."

"Your wa?" Frank asked.

"Mmm. Fleecy, why don't you take Percy, Hazel, Audrey and Emily into the back? You can get them something to eat while you arrange their messages. And for Percy…yes, memory sickness. I imagine that old Polybotes…well, meeting him in the first place, not to mention in a state of amnesia  _can't_  be good for children of P - that is to say, Neptune. Fleecy, give them a cup of green tea with organic honey and wheat germ and some of my medicinal powder number five. That should fix them up. And Zebra-Lion-"

"Seriously?!" Veon asked. "It's Zytaveon! You too, Iris?!"

"You and Zyanya may browse to your heart's content."

"What about Frank?" Hazel asked, frowning. Iris turned to him and tilted her head quizzically as though Frank was the biggest question in the room."

"Oh, don't worry," Iris said. "Frank and I have a lot to talk about." Hazel looked hesitant, but Emily put her hand on her shoulder and Hazel nodded. The four of them went to the back while I walked over to the aisles, Veon following behind. Frank and Iris went over to the café table at the bay window, Frank setting his spear on the floor and sitting across from Iris.

"Frank, I know how you feel," Iris was saying, my Apollo hearing allowing me to eavesdrop. Well, if Iris didn't want me to listen in, she should've sent me back with the others. "I imagine that half-burned stick in your pocket grows heavier every day."

"How do you-?" Of course I knew about Frank's condition thanks to Zyanya. Frank has many gifts and is from a very long and powerful family, but in return, his life is dependent on a piece of firewood currently in his pocket. Once it burns out, so does he. If only I had that problem.

"I told you. I know things. I was Juno's messenger for ages. I know why she gave you a reprieve."

"A reprieve?" I heard shuffling and used my sound powers to get a picture of what was happening thanks to their voices. Frank took the piece of firewood from his pocket and unwrapped it.

"Juno saved you for a reason. She wants you to serve her plan. If she hadn't appeared that day when you were a baby and warned your mother about the firewood, you would've died. You were born with too many gifts. That sort of power tends to burn out a mortal life."

"Too many gifts? I don't  _have_  any gifts!"

"That's not true, Frank." She waved her hand like she was cleaning a window and a miniature rainbow appeared. Great. Seeing images was so much harder using my eavesdropping technique. "Think about it. I heard sounds of a young child running around, squealing with delight in a manner that meant he was getting into trouble. Then there was the roar of a grizzly bear. Right after, someone who I assumed was the mother ran up and told the boy to run back to the house. The boy ran and must've did so, and when the mother came back, the boy, who I assumed was little Frank, asked what happened.

" _Mama Bear just needed directions,_ " She said. The scene shifted and there was a boy lying in his mother's lap while she told him stories. There was one about Xu Fu, who sailed in search of the elixir of life. " _He was your great-great-great-_ " Frank's mother was saying, poking her son in the stomach every time she said "great," dozens of times until he was giggling uncontrollably. Then there was Sung Guo, also called Seneca Gracchus, who fought twelve Roman dragons and sixteen Chinese dragons in the western deserts of China. " _He was the strongest dragon of all, you see,_ " His mother said. " _That's how he could beat them!_ " Then she poked his belly with so many "greats," little Frank rolled onto the floor to escape the tickling. " _And your very oldest ancestor that we know of: he was the Prince of Pylos! Hercules fought him once. It was a hard fight!_ "

" _Did we win?_ " Little Frank asked. His mother laughed, but there was a sadness in her tone.

" _No, our ancestor lost. But it wasn't easy for Hercules. Imagine trying to fight a swarm of bees. That's how it was. Even Hercules had trouble._ " The stories Iris were showing him should've made perfect sense, but Frank seemed confused still. Was he seriously thinking that his ancestor was some kind of beekeeper? In the image, little Frank asked where their family was from. So many heroes! Were they from Pylos, or Rome, or China, or Canada? His mother tilted her head, considering how to answer.

" _Li-Jien,_ " She said at last. " _Our family is from many places, but our home is Li-Jien. Always remember, Frank: You have a special gift. You can be anything_." The rainbow of Frank and his mother disappeared. If only I could've had that with my parents. I would always do that to my little brother, though he was a bit less compliant and struggling to escape my grasp until he eventually ran out of energy and fell asleep in my lap. As he got bigger and stronger from our survival, I'm pretty sure he could've escaped at one point or another, but he would stay, even if he'd never admit to liking it when I mothered him.

"What are you smiling about?" Veon asked, and I looked to him, having forgotten he was there.

"Memories," I admitted.

"Your brother?" I looked down. That obvious? "Sorry."

"Its…its fine. This time. Be more careful. I should've made you promise on the Styx before we got interrupted."

"You know…I'm no Emily…or a therapist, but…I can tell things about him…affect you. Don't kill me for this, but…maybe it'd be good for you to…I don't know…talk about him? The good things about him, I mean."

"Why?"

"Because…it affects you…and…it should do so in a good way, not a bad."

"With all light comes a shadow. Every time I've tried to look to the good in our past, the dark always follows. Instead of taking that pain over and over, I've decided I'm fine remaining neutral."

"So you're not strong enough to take your own darkness, is that it?" I knew he was goading me, but I still smashed a box that I had in my hand, electricity jolting through my fingers (I think it had some healthy gram crackers in it or something. Great, I'm gonna have to pay for them).

"No. I can't take it, Zytaveon. You have no idea how much darkness I hold within me. What I've told you today is just a fraction of how much pain I feel. Don't you dare presume otherwise. Don't presume  _anything_ about me." I dropped the crushed box of gram crackers (resisting the urge to shove them in his face to make a point) and walked off. I was filled with anger I wanted to get out, but when I started steaming and felt my skin burn worse than the basilisk burns, I knew I needed to keep under control. I pulled out a syringe with my suppressing dose and removed the black leather strap around my left upper arm before injecting a small bit within me. Instantly I began to cool. It was taking smaller and smaller doses to suppress the power of the goddess. We were running out of time. Why did life have to be so unfair about this, anyway? Not even the fates are this cruel, right?

I slipped the leather strap around my arm again to hide the scars from my numerous injections. The one on my right side hid…well…just more things Veon would worry his head over. I'm the healer here. If only he'd stop caring about me so much, digging himself into things and making this process harder. Then again, there's something inside me that likes the fact that he's worried over me, that he wants to know more about my past, that he's trying to help me get over my brother. But he can't help me, and he can never learn the truth that makes everything so bad. My little brother didn't die protecting me. He died in fear of me. He died betrayed by me, the only person he'd learned to trust. How I hated doing what I did, how I wish I hadn't. But with all my power, I'm helpless. I can't do anything to bring him back. I can't face his soul in the Underworld. He'd never forgive me, I don't think I can forgive myself. All I can do is move forward, and hope this time I can make up for it. If I can't, then everything will suffer my punishment.


	19. Gray

First Person: Zytaveon

I'm an idiot. In f-ing idiot. I should've kept my mouth shut. I shouldn't have pushed her. Why am I such an idiot?! There was so much more within her that I didn't know about. I can only imagine the loneliness she felt for all her life, the fear that she'll never have a place in the world, and that combined with the idea that she gets everything she has from someone else, and her brother's death…She must feel so lost. I want to help her, I want to convince her that she's amazing, that she's strong enough to make it through her past, but there are things I still don't know. Still, she was in no condition to give me any more information for now (or for the next eon, for that matter).

"I  _can't_  be anything," Frank was insisting over with Iris. "I've got zero skills."

"What have you tried?" Iris asked. "You wanted to be an archer. You managed that pretty well. You've only scratched the surface. Your friends are stretched between worlds: light and darkness, Greek and Roman, past and present. But you are stretched a great deal as well. Your family is ancient - the blood of Pylos on your mother's side, and your father is Mars. No wonder Juno wants you to be one of her seven heroes. She wants you to fight the giants and Gaea. But think about this: What do  _you_  want?"

"I don't have any choice. I'm the son of the stupid war god. I have to go on this quest and-"

" _Have_  to. Not  _want_  to. I used to think like that. Then I got tired of being everyone's servant. Fetch goblets of wine for Jupiter, deliver letters for Juno, send messages back and forth across the rainbow for anything with a golden drachma."

"A golden what?"

"Not important. But I learned to let go. I started R.O.F.L., and not I'm free of that baggage. You can let go, too. Maybe you can't escape fate. Someday that piece of wood  _will_  burn. I foresee that you'll be holding it when it happens, and your life will end-"

"Thanks."

"-but that just makes your life more precious! You don't have to be what your parents and your grandmother expect. You don't have to follow the war god's orders, or Juno's. Do your own thing, Frank! Find a new path!" There was a pause as he thought about it. It nearly sounded like what I should be telling Zy. No one owned her, and no one forced her. She could do what she wanted with her life. But…she's got someone else's life to live too, and she puts theirs before hers more often than not. In my dream, the goddess made her drop me. What if…in her past…the goddess made her drop her brother too?

"Why are you telling me this?" Frank asked. "You want me to abandon the quest, let Camp Jupiter be destroyed? My friends are counting on me."

"I can't tell you what to do, Frank. But do what you  _want_  to, not what they tell you to do. Where did conforming ever get me? I spent five millennia serving everyone else, and I never discovered my own identity. What's my sacred animal? No one bothered to give me one. Where are my temples? They never made any. Well, fine! I've found peace here at the co-op. You could stay with us, if you want. Become a ROFL-copter."

"A what now?"

"The point is, you have options. If you continue this quest…what happens when you free Thanatos? Will it be good for your family? Your friends?" Frank hesitated. Frank could keep his friends and family from dying, maybe see those that are gone again. Of course, Gaea had control of who returned. There was always the chance you could join your friends and family in the afterlife, so that's why I'm not afraid to die. Sure, it's hard being left alive without them, but one day you'll see them again. Unless, of course, they chose rebirth like Bianca…That may complicate things. Gaea can control who returns from death, but does that also mean rebirth is under her control too, or does that mean there's no such thing as rebirth ever again? Here's a reason to stop Gaea: There aren't so many complicated questions!

"I have to go," Frank said. "It's my job." Iris sighed.

"I expected as much, but I had to try. The task ahead of you…well, I wouldn't wish it on anyone, especially a nice boy like you. If you must go, at least I can offer some advice. You'll need help finding Thanatos."

"You know where the giants are hiding him?"

"No…Alaska is beyond the gods' sphere of control. The location is shielded from my sight, and even Zyanya's vision is clouded when it comes to that place. But there  _is_  someone who would know. Seek out the seer Phineas. He's blind, but he can see the past, present, and future. He knows many things. He can tell you where Thanatos is being held."

"Phineas…Wasn't there a story about him?"

"In the old days, he committed horrible crimes. He used his gift of sight for evil. Jupiter sent the harpies to plague him. The Argonauts - including your ancestor, by the way-"

"The prince of Pylos?" Iris hesitated.

"Yes, Frank. Though his gift, his story… _that_  you must discover on your own. Suffice to say, the Argonauts drove away the harpies in exchange for Phineas's help. That was eons ago, but I understand Phineas has returned to the mortal world. You'll find him in Portland, Oregon, which is on your way north. But you must promise me one thing. If he's still plagued by harpies, do  _not_  kill them, no matter what Phineas promises you. Win his help some other way. The harpies are not evil, they're my sisters."

"Your sisters?"

"I know. I don't look old enough to be the harpies' sister, but it's true. And Frank…there's another problem. If you're determined to leave, you'll have to clear those basilisks off the hill."

"You mean the snakes?"

"Yes. Basilisk means "little crown," which is a cute name for something that's not very cute. I'd prefer not to have them killed, they're living creatures, after all, but you won't be able to leave until they're gone. If your friends try to battle them…well, I foresee bad things happening.  _You_  have the ability to kill the monsters, though."

"But how?" There was a pause and I looked over to find Iris glancing at Frank's spear.

"I wish there was another way. If you had some weasels for instance. Weasels are deadly to basilisks."

"Fresh out of weasels."

"Then you will have to use your father's gift. Are you sure you wouldn't like to live here instead? We make excellent lactose-free rice milk." Frank rose.

"How do I use the spear?"

"That Zytaveon will be able to help with that. I can't advocate violence. While you're doing battle, I'll check on your friends. I hope Fleecy found the right medicinal herbs. The last time, we had a mix up…well, I don't think those heroes  _wanted_  to be daisies." The goddess stood. "One last bit of advice, Frank. You're destined to die holding that piece of firewood, watching it burn. But perhaps if you didn't keep it yourself; perhaps if you trusted someone enough to hold it for you…" Frank's fingers curled around a small piece of wood, maybe the size of a remote, that they must've been talking about.

"Are you offering?" Iris laughed gently.

"Oh, dear, no. I'd lost it in this collection. It would get mixed up with my crystals, or I'd sell it as a driftwood paperweight by accident. No, I meant a demigod friend. Someone close to your heart." He looked down before wrapping up the tinder and slipping it back into his coat.

"Thanks…thanks, Iris." She squeezed his hand.

"Don't lose hope, Frank. Rainbows always stand for hope." She walked off to the back of the store and I took that as a cue to walk over to Frank.

"So wait, she  _can_  get my name right?" I asked. "The gods  _are_  purposefully getting it wrong!"

"Don't take it personally," Zy said, walking over as well. "We do that because it's fun to see your annoyance when we do. Besides, the gods can't remember  _every_  name out there, can we? We've got enough trouble keeping all the millennia of our pasts in our heads." She was smiling like nothing was wrong. She really was a good actor (I  _had_  met her in the drama department back at school, after all) but now I realized just how good she must be. How much could she be hiding under there so easily?

"Hope," Frank grumbled, staring at his spear. "I'd rather have a few good weasels." Zy kicked up his spear with her foot and caught it in her hand.

"Now, now. If you want to moan, do it  _after_  you're dead and have all the time in the Underworld." She shoved the spear into his hands. "It's just basilisks, and it will give you a good opportunity to put this weapon to work. Remember to spread the ashes when you're done. I'm gonna go check that the others aren't suffering under Iris's healthy foods."

"You're leaving?" I asked.

"You can handle them with the spear. You lance is also resistant to the poisonous effects of the basilisks. Show Frank how the spear works if he can't figure it out himself." With that, she walked to the back and left us to fight the snakes.

"Well, I guess we're going," Frank said. "Do you know how to use this spear?"

"Well, I have theories, but there are different ways of making weapons like these. I don't know what Mars did to the thing, but I'm certainly familiar with the technique. They say its power is shown when the dragon's tooth is broken off, though I can't guarantee what the result will be when it is."

"I don't have my bow. I won't have a weapon if I break the tip."

"Well we never know until we try. You don't have to break it instantly. It's normally a last resort kind of thing; like if you face an opponent so strong that your weapon breaks, some backup plan will happen and the power of the weapon is revealed."

"I'm still not good in close combat. I can handle myself during the war games, but real fights like this aren't going to be in my favor. I'm too slow and bulky to use a spear effectively, especially against those things. Do you have a bow by any chance?"

"You sound like Apollo. The guy can't stand anything but a bow or a musical instrument as a weapon. Look, Frank, you have to learn to expand your pallet, adjust to being stuck in a situation when you have no other choice. An archer has a serious disadvantage if they have limited arrows, and if you want to be an archer, you don't only need to have good aim, you also need to have a backup in case you lose all your arrows or your bow or both. I can take a guess that you haven't been at Camp Jupiter for long, but from first impressions, I'd assume you'd already know that you can never be reliant on one fighting style. My point is, you need to adjust. Know your own limits and how far you can push them. Against these snakes, they're going to be fast. Can you block with something like the shaft of a spear?"

"I think so."

"There, you're at a start. If you have the eye of an archer, you should be able to see and keep track of the snakes even from long distances. Keep them within your sight, and try to keep track of them all. If you don't know the location of one of them, make sure you know their last known location and where they were most likely going. You may be at a disadvantage, Frank, but that doesn't mean you should give up. Stretch your resources, use them creatively, and you can win. You've trained in the legion, and that means you have more than you're giving yourself credit for. If we have to, all I can loan you is my sword, but remember to kick the ashes before they reform. It'd be best if we kill them all at once or at close time periods. We can't have one reforming while we try and finish off the others, or this will be an endless fight. You follow?"

"Yeah."

"Your physical build puts power behind your attacks. If you can swing that thing and hit the snake dead on, I have a feeling that'll be enough to at least stun them, possibly kill them. If Audrey weren't out of action, she might be able to handle mixing up the ashes and preventing reforming with her water, but we'll have to make do on our own."

"Okay, that plan seems simple enough. Hit 'em hard enough to turn 'em to ash and then kick and spread the ashes. Our biggest problem is their fire breathing and poisonous qualities, along with their small size and speed."

"Ata boy. Come on." We headed out the door, and instantly the basilisks stopped breathing fire. "Masking their location to try and ambush us."

"So what do we do?" I shrugged.

"What choice do we have but to walk into it?" I unsheathed my lance and Frank leveled his golden spear. Patches of flame still smoldered on the hillside, acrid smoke burning in my nose. As we walked off the porch with our weapons, the withered grass crunched under our feet.

"Not good for stealth," I reported. "They'll easily know our location while we don't know theirs." The night was quiet except for the crackle of brush fires. We crept downhill, my eyes stinging from the smoke. "Low visibility and breathing issues." Then, about twenty feet ahead, there was a burst of flame. Looking to each other, we had little choice but to approach it. We emerged in a clearing of burned grass and found ourselves face to face with one of the basilisks. The snake rose up on its tail, hissing and expanding the collar of white spokes around its neck. "Little crown" huh?

"Where are the other two?" Frank asked. I looked around in the shadows for them. "It isn't attacking."

"That's because we're surrounded." On cue, the other two basilisks slithered into the clearing around us. Well, that's one way to locate them all. Frank swept his spear back and forth, but it seemed to be getting heavy for him, like the tip wanted to be driven into the ground…

"Stay back!" He said, though his voice sounded squeaky. "I've got…um…amazing powers - and stuff."

"Frank, I know you're probably not into drama, but you have to at least be able to act the part. Half of fighting is skill. The other half is pretending like you know what you're doing." The basilisks hissed in a three part harmony, most likely laughing. "Stand back!" The first basilisk launched itself at me with lightning speed, and I drew my shield to block it and knock it away. The second and third launched in from either side, and I pushed Frank back so that I could block one with my shield and smack the other with my lance. The latter instantly crumpled to dust, but the first came back with a stream of fire worthy of Leo back at the Wolf House. Frank and I were both forced back to avoid being burnt and trying to breathe through the smoke as the field was set ablaze. The basilisk reformed and the three of them kept their distance, resorting to breathing fire and spitting poison. I blocked with my shield, but it was steaming now from the poison.

"What do we do?" Frank asked. He grunted and hefted his lance, but it almost seemed to be magnetized to the ground. A dragon's tooth…I swear there was something about a dragon's tooth being planted in the ground.

"Frank, stab your lance into the ground, tooth end first."

"Why?"

"Just do it!" The basilisks began circling us, just out of striking distance, and they knew they had the advantage with long range. I couldn't know which one was going to attack, and my shield was limited to my ability to be on the right side of Frank when one of them attacked. If more than one spat poison, one or both of us were doomed. I know I said we needed to learn to work with what we had, but a long range bow and arrow would be useful right about now. I'm not sure I want to take the risk of trying to touch them and turn them to ash since I don't have Zy's resistance to poison touch, there aren't any skeletons or jewels to summon, and Hazel's "schist" was too far off for me to control or make use of. I wasn't exactly a Mist Master, and maybe I could fly Frank up or shadow travel us to safety, but we needed some way to attack the things or else the others will be trapped in that department store forever. We needed something long range and fast, but my range of powers didn't include summoning a bow for Frank.

"Here goes!" Frank drove the spear tip into the ground with  _crack_. When he lifted it out, the top was gone - broken off in the dirt. "Was that supposed to happen? Because if not, I'm now stuck with nothing but a golden stick." Then I sensed something coming from the earth. There were no corpses here a moment ago, but now there was clearly a skeleton rising of its own will. The ground rumbled at our feet, dirt spewing everywhere before a skeletal hand clawed the air. The basilisks hissed and backed up.

"No way," I muttered. A human skeleton crawled out of the ground, taking on flesh as if someone were pouring gelatin over its bones, covering them in glowing, transparent gray skin. Then ghostly clothes enveloped it - a muscle shirt, camo pants, and army boots. Everything about the creature was gray: gray clothes on gray flesh on gray bones. It turned to Frank and he whimpered like a puppy, his legs shaking and him having to lean on his spear shaft.

"Destroy the basilisks!" I ordered. The skeleton turned to me, but I sensed he wasn't under my command. His skull just grinned beneath an expressionless gray face. "Frank! You're the one who summoned him! He'll follow your orders before he follows mine!" Frank's face showed this processing before he tried to stand straight again.

"Kill the basilisks! Not us!" The skeletal warrior leaped into action. He grabbed the nearest snake, and though his gray flesh began to smoke on contact, he strangled the basilisk with one hand and flung down its limp body, making sure it didn't turn to ash yet and reform. The other two basilisks hissed with rage. One sprang at Frank, seeing he was the one controlling the skeleton, but I smacked it away with my lance, swinging it like a baseball bat. The other snake belched fire directly in the skeleton's face, but the warrior marched forward and stomped the basilisk's head under his boot. The final basilisk that I had knocked away was curled at the edge of the clearing studying us. Frank raised his Imperial gold spear shaft, while I did the same with my lance. The skeletal warrior's right foot and hand were slowly dissolving from poison and his head was on fire, but otherwise he seemed pretty good. The basilisk did the smart thing. It turned to flee.

"Throw!" I ordered. "Do  _not_  let it escape!" The skeleton pulled out one of his ribs and flung it across the clearing, impaling the basilisk in the dirt.

"That…that was  _gross_ ," Frank said. The skeleton stumbled over to the basilisk and pulled out its rib before using it to cut off the creature's head. I decapitated the other two carcasses and kicked the ashes to disperse them as best I could, Frank's skeleton doing the same with his.

"That should slow them down at least," I said. The skeletal warrior stood at attention, his poisoned foot and hand mostly gone and his head still on fire.

"What…what are you?" Frank asked.

" _My mission is accomplished. Until next time._ " He saluted with the stump of his hand and them began to crumble, sinking back into the ground.

"Wait! I don't even know what to call you! Tooth Man? Bones?"

"Gray," I said, and Frank looked to me. "His name is Gray." Gray sank into the ground and disappeared.

"Gray. Okay…but…" I held up his spear to show that a new dragon tooth was starting to grow out of the golden shaft.

"Awesome, man. You got your own undead soldier. Do you know how rare that is? I mean, for a kid that's not a child of Pluto or something. You can summon him  _anywhere_ , which is useful compared to me since I actually have to have the bones already in the ground to summon and control them. As you saw, he won't falter to injury and will soldier through until he's accomplished his mission that you give him. Mars gave you three charges, right? Not bad. Closest thing I have to that guy is my chuffer, and he's not a fighter."

"Wait, your what?"

"Not important." We heard footsteps and turned to see the others running up to us. Percy and Audrey were looking better, except that Percy was carrying a tie-dyed man satchel from R.O.F.L., which was definitely  _not_ his style. Emily had a matching one, though it seemed to go on her better. All of them had their weapons drawn except Emily (since she didn't use her dagger until there was no other option) and Zy who was sauntering over unconcerned.

"Are you okay?" Hazel asked. Percy turned and looked around for enemies.

"Iris told us you were out here battling the basilisks and we were like, " _What?!_ " We came out as fast as we could. What happened?"

"I'm not really sure," Frank admitted. Hazel crouched next to the dirt where Gray disappeared.

"I sense death. Veon, that can't be you, can it? Are the basilisks dead?"

"Yeah," I said. "Turns out Frank's spear summons an undead warrior to fight for him. Really useful for enemies that attack with poison and fire since he doesn't react to it." I explained the story of what happened with Gray. "Mars apparently got the thing under his control. It's no pet; it's a vicious, undead killing force. He'll follow your orders, Frank, but he's a bit hyper, so you have to make your orders fast, and if the rest of us get in Gray's way, oh well. Considering you don't control him telepathically like I would, Frank, I have a feeling he's only gonna take maybe a sentence of orders at most, so no long explanations. Still, the thing's not one to be underestimated." Frank looked down in thought. Mars had said Gray was supposed to give him breathing room until he learned his mother's talents, right? At this rate, Gray wasn't going to last that long. Frank had no self-confidence, really. Maybe Emily could do something about that.

"Thanks a lot, dad," Frank grumbled.

"What?" Hazel asked. "Frank, are you okay?"

"I'll explain later. Right now, there's a blind man in Portland we've got to see."


	20. Welcome to Portland

First Person: Emily

Percy seemed embarrassed by the accessory bag. I could sense turmoil within him. He was angry that we'd left the others only for Veon, Hazel and Zy to get kidnapped by grain monsters, that he'd broken down when the army passed by (which was not his fault considering his dad's worst enemy was there) and he wasn't able to help Frank defeat the basilisks. There was also fear. His memories seemed to only be getting foggier the farther north we went. He tried contacting someone named Annabeth with his Iris message, who I sensed he cared for even if he didn't know who she was, but his mental image of her was disappearing as well. He was afraid her memory would disappear completely once they made it to Alaska. Annabeth was the one thing he could remember even through his memory loss. That was so sweet, and I know Annabeth is going to be happy to hear that.

Percy guided the boat through the strong currents off the northern California coast. The wind was cold, but it felt good, and Percy and Audrey seemed to be empowered by being in the water once more, Percy pushing the boat as hard as he could. The hull rattled as the Pax plowed its way north, but it seemed everything was under control. Veon was still looking a bit dizzy from the trip, and even I couldn't do anything for him, but Zy got him to stare at a point on the horizon and zone out, which seemed to help. Hazel and Frank traded stories about the events at Rainbow Organic Foods, Frank explaining the seer Phineas in Portland, and how Iris said he might be able to tell them the location of Thanatos.

"Phineas as in Phineas and Ferb?" Audrey asked.

"Well it's spelled the same," Zy said. "Other than that, no. You'll understand when we meet him. He's…not the nicest person in the world. With ultimate sight comes ultimate arrogance. If I had more power I might be able to pinpoint Thanatos's exact location, but the best I have is a hazy blur. I can see Thanatos, but I can't zoom out far enough for coordinates. At most, I can tell you he's being held in a place with a lot of ice and snow, which doesn't narrow things down much considering he's in Alaska. It's frustrating."

"Are your powers weakening?" I asked.

"Yes. Gaea's rise brings many challenges, including the weakening of the goddess's strength. At this rate, I'll be on my own when it comes to power within a week or two, and the most she'll be able to give me is her knowledge. I didn't expect my decline to be this rapid, though her mind is still a formidable weapon, and I can still do minor things such as summon my weapons and such."

"So did the Iris message work?" Frank asked. Hazel gave Percy a sympathetic look, but she luckily didn't mention the failure to contact Annabeth.

"I got in touch with Reyna," She said. "You're supposed to throw a coin into a rainbow an say this incantation, like " _O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering._ " Except Fleecy kinda changed it. She gave us her - what did she call it? - her direct number? So I had to say, " _O Fleecy, do me a solid. Show Reyna at Camp Jupiter._ " I kinda felt stupid, but it worked. Reyna's image appeared in the rainbow, like in a two-way video call. She was in the baths. Scared her out of her mind."

"Why did I know that's what happened?" Veon asked, rolling his eyes but keeping his head a level as possible to avoid getting dizzy.

"That I would've paid to see," Frank said. "I mean her expression! Not, you know, the baths."

"Frank!" Hazel explained, fanning her face like she needed air. An old-fashion gesture, but I wasn't judging. "Anyway, we told Reyna about the army, but like Percy said, she pretty much already knew. It doesn't change anything. She's doing what she can to shore up the defenses. Unless we unleash Death and get back with that eagle-"

"The camp doesn't stand a chance against that army," Audrey concluded. "Not without help." After that, we sailed in silence, but I could sense the turmoil and tried to stay positive, cheering everyone up with my aura as best I could. We could do it. All we needed to do was get the location from this Phineas character, go find Thanatos, and then bring everything back to Camp Jupiter. Considering our last quest only took a few days, four days seemed like plenty of time. Not to mention we didn't have to divide our attention between rescuing two people like last time, so if anything, this was easier. Granted, the reviving of our enemies meant we needed to keep running until we made it to Alaska and freed Death. Oh well. It was encouragement to not get caught up in fighting and just keep moving faster. Percy began to nod off after a few hours of navigating, so Audrey took over the driving.

"As long as someone tells me where Portland is, I can handle it," She said. Zy said she'd tell her when they should turn and head to shore, while the rest of us got some needed sleep. I dreamt of Leo, Jason and Piper, working on the Argo II. They were running into some trouble, but their goal was to leave for Camp Jupiter on the solstice. It would actually be best for them to arrive at the camp when we got back, considering Reyna wasn't a talker, and if Octavian got talking and the camp started firing on the Argo II, not only would that be bad for our friends, but also the camp would waste resources they'd need for the incoming monsters. When I woke, we were nearing Portland and the others were still knocked out, except for Audrey and Zy of course.

"Here we are." It was raining and heavy clouds hung overhead, though the cold rain was so light, it seemed suspended in the air. The Pax floated on an iron-black river through the middle of the city. On the left were industrial warehouses and railroad tracks, and to the right was a small downtown area - an almost cozy-looking cluster if towers between the banks of the river and a long of misty forested hills.

"Hey Milwaukee," Veon pointed out. The boat was moving slowly enough that there was no rocking at all, so he wasn't seasick anymore (he protests that he wasn't seasick in the first place, just uncomfortable). He, Zy and Audrey began singing Rhythm of Life (though they didn't know who it was by) since there was a line that had Milwaukee in it. Apparently, in our previous middle schools before we'd met, they'd coincidently sung this song.

" _Go and spread the gospel in Milwaukee  
_ _Take a walkie-talkie to Rocky Ridge  
_ _All the way to Canton then to Scranton  
_ _Even tell it under the Manhattan bridge…_ "

They began to split into two different parts, and though it was hard to keep up with what both sides were saying, the harmony that came from it was cool. I always loved the fact that we had someone from three different parts of a song in our group, that way we could hear the sopranos, the altos, and the tenors differences with just the four of us. In our choir, we rarely ever had the guys split to tenors and bases, so Veon held the guys part pretty well, while Audrey and I were the altos, who were more quiet, therefore there were two of us, and Zy the soprano who had to sing louder anyway because of the height of her notes. Overall, we were a beautifully sounding group worthy of Apollo's praise.

"Welcome to Portland," Zy announced when the others began to stir.

"How did we get here?" Percy asked.

"We went all the way to the Columbia River, then to this river, The Willamette," Audrey explained. "Anyway, sleep okay?" Percy began explaining this dream he had, first of fighting on Mount Tamalpais, north of San Francisco, fighting at the Titan stronghold with Annabeth and two other girl's, despite him never having been there before. Then there was a vision of Jason, Piper and Leo running into trouble with the Argo II, just like what I had. His interpretation was that a warship was coming to aid the camp, so at least we weren't instantly known as enemies to Percy, Hazel and Frank.

"Those are some of my reinforcements," Zy explained simply. "I fear if Camp Jupiter will treat them as enemies instead of friends, but I informed Reyna of it. Hopefully that will be enough." Percy continued and told about a friendly Cyclops and a giant dog that were looking for him. Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary (Percy's half brother and the hellhound that we'd befriended)! That's right, they were looking for Percy, but though he was on the radar again, his moving so far so fast (and going all the way to Alaska) might impede their efforts significantly. But this quest  _had_  to happen, and Percy  _had_  to come with us.

Then Percy talked about a range of snowy mountains so tall they broke through the clouds. In the shadows of the rocks, Gaea's face had appeared and told him he was a valuable pawn, that he had plans for him and would preserve him for the moment, urging him to come north. We had little choice but to go north, whether Gaea ordered us to or not, and if Gaea wanted to preserve Percy, that was something we could use to our advantage. Sometimes the bad guys make the mistake of leaving the good guys alive too long, and more often than not, that's the only reason we survive.

Percy described a valley between the mountains covered in a field of ice. The edge plunged into the sea, hundreds of feet below, with sheets of frost constantly crumbling into the water. On top of the ice field stood a legion camp - ramparts, moats, towers, barracks, just like Camp Jupiter except three times larger. At the crossroads outside the principia, a figure in dark robes stood shackled to the ice. In the headquarters was a giant bigger than Polybotes, his skin glinting gold and tattered, frozen banners of a Roman legion behind him, including a large, golden eagle with its wings spread. The giant said they were waiting for us, and while we scrambled to him, his forces were destroying Camp Jupiter. The whole spiel about us never being able to win and such.

"So we're looking for a glacier," Zy said. "That doesn't narrow it down any further than before. There are hundreds of those in Alaska. Considering the mountain range and his location of resurrection, that does narrow it down some. However, there are a good number or mountains in Alaska, and he could go anywhere in Alaska just to annoy us. No guarantees."

"Maybe this seer Phineas can tell us some," I said. Audrey docked the boat at a wharf. The rain began to fall on us, but Audrey waved her hand and an invisible dome seemed to block the water from reaching us like an umbrella.

"So now we find a blind man in the rain. Yay," Frank said sarcastically. Finding him was actually easier than we thought it'd be. The screaming and the weed whacker helped, of course. Audrey kept the rain off of us, though even without the rain, the temperature was cold. All of us had lightweight Polartec jackets in our supplies, so we bundled up and walked for a few blocks through the mostly deserted streets. This time, Percy had brought most of his supplies from the boat considering what happened last time. Audrey, Ve, Zy and I packed lightly anyway and always had our supplies with us. Zy had taught us to always be prepared with the lowest weight we could manage.

We saw some bicycle traffic and a few homeless guys huddled in doorways, but the majority of Portlanders seemed to be staying indoors. Maybe it could be the weather that put people in a stay-at-home mood, or it could be that we were walking into danger. The sight of few people on the streets did worry me, considering that when there weren't people around, the monsters were free to attack. Not that having civilians around during a fight was a good thing, but they seemed to deter the monsters away and discourage them from starting a scene. As we made our way down Glisan Street, I saw folks at a cafés enjoying coffee and pastries. I felt that Percy wanted to get some food and was looking at the place longingly, so I decided a little breakfast couldn't hurt us.

"HA! TAKE THAT, STUPID CHICKENS!" A voice down the street yelled, followed by the revving of a small engine and a lot of squawking. All of us looked at each other.

"You think-?" Percy began.

"Probably," Frank agreed. We all nodded and ran towards the sounds. The next block over, we found a big open parking lot with tree-lined sidewalks and rows of food trucks facing the streets on all four sides. I didn't see a ton of food trucks back in Colorado, or maybe I had and just I ignored them, but I'd certainly never seen so many in one place. Some were simple white metal boxes on wheels, with awnings and serving counter, while other were painted blue or purple or polka-dotted, with big banners out front and colorful menu boards and tables like do-it-yourself sidewalk cafés. One advertised Korean/Brazilian fusion tacos, which sounded like some kind of top-secret radioactive cuisine. Another offered sushi on a stick, and a third was selling deep-fried ice cream sandwiches (how does that work?). The smell was amazing - dozens of different kitchens cooking at once.

The food sounded good, and I could sense the others' hunger as well, Percy's in particular. Zy said she could cover expenses for the trip, so we could get anything we wanted and any amount. Unfortunately, there was more happening than just cooking. In the center of the lot, behind all the food trucks, an old man in a bathrobe was running around with a weed whacker, screaming at a flock of bird-ladies who were trying to steal food off a picnic table.

"Those are harpies," I said. "Which means…"

"That's Phineas," Audrey guessed. We ran across the street and squeezed between the Korean/Brazilian truck and a Chinese egg roll burrito vendor. The backs of the food trucks weren't nearly as appetizing as the fronts, cluttered with stacks of plastic buckets, overflowing garbage cans, and makeshift clotheslines hanging with wet aprons and towels. The parking lot itself was nothing but a square of cracked asphalt, marbled with weeds. In the middle was a picnic table piled high with food from all the different trucks.

The guy in the bathrobe was old and fat. He was mostly bald, with scars across his forehead and a rim of stringy white hair. His bathrobe was spattered with ketchup, and he kept stumbling around in fuzzy pink bunny slippers, swinging his gas-powered weed whacker at the half-dozen harpies who were hovering over his picnic table. He was clearly blind, his eyes milky white and he missed the harpies a lot, but he was still doing a pretty good job fending them off.

"Back, dirty chickens!" He bellowed. The harpies were obviously starving compared to the ones back at Camp Half-Blood. Their humans faces had sunken eyes and hollow cheeks, their bodies were covered in molting feathers, and their wings were tipped with tiny, shriveled hands. They wore ragged burlap sacks for dresses, and as they dived for the food, I could sense they were more desperate rather than angry.

The old man swung his weed whacker, grazing one of the harpies wings. The harpy yelped in pain and fluttered off, dropping yellow feathers as she flew. Another harpy circled higher than the rest. She looked younger and smaller than the other, with bright-red feathers. She watched carefully for an opening, and when the old man's back was turned, she made a wild dive for the table. She grabbed a burrito in her clawed feet, but before she could escape, the blind man swung his weed whacker and smacked her in the back hard. The harpy yelped and dropped the burrito, flying off.

"Hey, stop it!" I shouted. I ran up and was whacked by the old man in the head. I barely recoiled and grabbed the thing from him and tore it from his grip. The harpies seemed to take my interference the wrong way and immediately fled, thinking someone who could see was a lot worse than the blind man, and he was terrible. Most of them fluttered away and perched in the trees around the square, staring dejectedly at the picnic table. The red-feathered one with the hurt back flew unsteadily down Glisan Street and out of sight.

"Ha!" The blind man yelled in triumph. He grinned vacantly at me. "Thank you, strangers! Your help is most appreciated."

"Um…you're welcome," I said. I didn't mean to help the old man, and I would have sided with the harpies if I didn't know that we needed information out of this guy. "Um, I'm Emily. This is Audrey, Percy, Veon-"

"Demigods! I can always smell demigods." Hazel frowned.

"Do we smell that bad?" The old man laughed.

"Of course not, my dear. But you'd be surprised how sharp my other sense became once I was blinded. I'm Phineas. And you…wait, don't tell me-" He reached for Percy's face and poked him in the eyes.

"Ow!" Percy complained.

"Son of Neptune! I thought I smelled ocean on you, Percy Jackson. And you, Audrey Mavepo. You smell like freshwater in the shape of a person."

"Gee, thanks."

"I'm also a son of Neptune, you know."

"Hey…yeah. Okay," Percy said, rubbing his eyes. Phineas turned to Hazel and Veon.

"And here…Oh my, the smell of gold and deep earth. Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto. And you next to her. You smell like so much death, you might as well be Chaos. Zytaveon Kanazoi, son of Pluto. You, girl. You smell like emotion, but also…a little fire in there. Emily Hezesto, daughter of Venus, and also…Vesta. And you, son of Mars. But there's more to your story, Frank Zhang."

"Ancient blood," Frank muttered. "Prince of Pylos. Blah, blah, blah."

"Periclymenus, exactly! Oh, he was a nice fellow. I loved the Argonauts!" Frank's mouth fell open.

"W-Wait. Perry  _who?_ " Phineas grinned.

"Don't worry. I know about your family. That story about your great-grandfather? He didn't  _really_  destroy the camp."

"The Argonauts were nice," Zy said. "A little dull sometimes, but proper for their time."

"Ah, what's-your-name! How you doing? Was is Helen?"

"I go by Zyanya now."

"I see you're still choosing the possessing route. But oh, your husband isn't here, is he? Serves him right. He was so rude."

"You're the rude one."

"Well the boy may be close, but he's never going to survive. Neither is that girl, for that matter. Or maybe they will and I'm getting confused."

"I'm going for the latter, considering I'm better at this than you."

"Says the one whose foreknowledge is only getting worse these days. You'll be dead by August. Besides, Gaea's let a little boy loose that'll ruin your attempts to stop her or save your husband. Are you hungry?" I assumed he was saying he knew Zyanya in a previous time and that she'd been taking hosts for ages, along with her husband who seems to be missing. He said something about a boy and a girl dying, and Gaea sending a little boy to stop Zy from resisting Gaea and getting her husband back. Zy had told us she was weakening, but what's this about being dead by August? It didn't take a genius to know that this was a touchy subject for Zy and that we shouldn't push it, and clearly Phineas had already moved on to other matters.

"Look, um, Phineas, sir," I said. "I'm a little confused. We need some information and were told-"

"-that the harpies were keeping my food away from me," Phineas finished, "and if you helped me, I'd help you."

"Something like that." Phineas laughed.

"That's old news. Do I look like I'm missing any meals?" He patted his belly, which was the size of an overinflated basketball.

"Um…no, sir." Phineas waved his hand in an expansive gesture.

"Things have changed, my friends! When I first got the gift of prophecy, eons ago, it's true Jupiter cursed me. He sent the harpies to steal my food. You see, I had a bit of a big mouth. I gave away too many secrets that the gods wanted kept." He turned to Hazel. "For instance, you're supposed to be dead. And you-" He turned to Frank. "Your life depends on a burned stick."

"What are you talking about?" Percy asked, frowning. Hazel blinked like she'd been slapped, and Frank looked like the truck had backed up and run over him again.

"And you," Phineas continued, turning to me. "You're a daughter of Hestia, or Vesta despite her promise to remain a forever virgin. Scandalous! Though I suppose Venus's adopting of you  _does_  technically make you her daughter too." He turned to Percy. "And you don't even know who you are! I could tell you, of course, but…ha! What fun would that be? Oh, and Zyanya, you have  _so_  much I could talk about. I know things that you don't know anymore!" He giggled. "Oh, but I'd rather let you figure the future out on your own. What fun that's going to be for you! You know Brigid O'Shaughnessy shot Miles Archer in  _The Maltese Falcon_. And Darth Vader is actually Luke's father. And the winner of the next Super Bowl will be-"

"Yeah, yeah," Zy said. "Been there done that. Lots of good plays. That comeback in the fourth quarter though. Much more memorable than the one two years from now." Hazel gripped her sword like she was tempted to pommel-whip the old man.

"So you talked too much and the gods cursed you," She summarized. "Why did they stop?"

"Oh, they didn't!" The old man arched his bushy eyebrows like, " _Can you believe it?_ " "I had to make a deal the Argonauts. They wanted information too, you see. I told them to kill the harpies and I'd cooperate. Well, they drove the nasty creatures away, but Iris wouldn't let them kill the harpies. An outrage! So  _this_  time, when my patron brought me back to life-"

"Your patron?" Frank asked. Phineas gave him a wicked grin.

"Why, Gaea of course. Who do you think opened the Doors of Death? Your girlfriend here understands. Isn't Gaea your patron too?" Hazel drew her sword.

"I'm not his - I don't - Gaea is  _not_  my patron!" Phineas looked amused and unconcerned by a sword being drawn on him. Maybe it was because he knew we needed information from him, maybe it was because he knew that we couldn't kill him for long, or most likely, both.

"Fine, if you want to be  _noble_  and stick with the losing side, that's your business. But Gaea is waking. She's already rewritten the rules of life and death! I'm alive again, and in exchange for my help - a prophecy here, a prophecy there - I get my fondest wish. The tables have been turned, so to speak. Now I can eat all I want, all day long, and the harpies have to watch and starve. They're cursed, you see. They can eat only food from my table, and they can't leave Portland. Since the Doors of Death are open, they can't even die. It's beautiful!"

"They're living creatures!" I protested. "How could you be so mean to them? It's not their fault Jupiter sent them after you! If you have an unlimited amount of food, why not befriend them and never have to worry about them attacking or stealing from you again?"

"Oh I'm mad at Jupiter too. In time, Gaea will see that the gods are properly punished, including you, Zyanya. Horrible job they've done, ruling the world. But for now, I'm enjoying Portland. The mortals take no notice of me. They think I'm just a crazy old man shooing away pigeons!" Hazel advanced on the seer.

"You're awful! You belong in the Fields of Punishment!"

"Agreed. I'd send you there in a heartbeat," Veon said. Phineas sneered.

"Not like you can, boy. And one dead person to another, girlie? I wouldn't be talking. You started this whole thing! If it weren't for you, Alcyoneus wouldn't be alive!" Hazel stumbled back.

"Hazel?" Frank asked, his eyes widening. "What's he talking about?"

"Ha! You'll find out soon enough, Frank Zhang. Then we'll see if you're still sweet on your girlfriend."

" _Gaea_  is the cause for the rise of Alcyoneus," Veon stated. "Hazel was just caught in the middle, trying to save her family."

"Yeah, yeah,  _whatever_  you say, boy. But that's not what you're here about, is it? You want to find Thanatos. He's being kept at Alcyoneus's lair. I can tell you where it is, of course I can. But you'll have to do me a favor."

"Forget it," Hazel snapped. "You're working for the enemy. We should send you back to the Underworld ourselves."

" _Hazel…_ " I began.

"You could try," Phineas said smiling. "But I doubt I'd stay dead very long. You see, Gaea has shown me the easy way back, and with Thanatos in chains, there's no one to keep me down! Besides, if you kill me, you won't get my secrets." I held my hand out for them all to stand down, sending waves of submission through them. We needed the giant's location, and any second we waste searching puts Camp Jupiter at risk.

"What's the favor?" I asked calmly. Phineas licked his lips greedily.

"There's one harpy who's quicker than the rest."

"The red one," Percy guessed.

"I'm blind! I don't know colors! At any rate, she's the only one I have trouble with. She's wily, that one. Always does her own thing, never roosts with the others. She gave me these." He pointed at the scars on his forehead. "Capture that harpy and bring her to me. I want her tied up where I can keep an eye on her…ah, so to speak. Harpies hate being tied up; it causes them extreme pain. Yes, I'll enjoy that. Maybe I'll even feed her so that she lasts longer." I tried to delve into Phineas's emotions, but he was mentally shielded, most likely from having to deal with past present and future all in his mind at once, with not even sight to keep him grounded. If he didn't have a strong mind, he'd probably be going insane right about now. I looked to the others, but we all knew that we needed to get the information from him. There was no way I'd allow anyone to hurt that harpy, but we could use this time to come up with a plan B.

"Oh, go talk among yourselves," Phineas said. "I don't care. Just remember that without my help, your quest will fail. And everyone you love in the world will die. Now, off with you! Bring me a harpy!"


	21. A Gorgon's Blood Gamble

First Person: Emily

"We're going to need some of your food, sir," I said. "To use as bait, you see." I snatched a bowl of Thai noodles in mac-and-cheese sauce, and a tubular pastry that looked like a combination burrito and cinnamon roll. "Come on, guys." I led them out of the parking lot before any of them could lose their cool.

"Anyone else wanna kill that dude?" Audrey asked.

"That man…" Hazel muttered before smacking the side of a bus-stop bench. "He needs to die.  _Again_." Hazel was internally shaking with anger, fear, and regret. I put my arms around her and tried to send waves of calmness, but her insecurities were fighting back.

"We'll get him," I promised. "He's  _nothing_  like you, Hazel. I don't care what he says." She shook her head.

"You don't know the whole story. I should have been sent to Punishment. I…I'm just as bad-"

"No, you're not!" Frank shouted, his hands balling into fists. He looked around like he was searching for anybody who might disagree with him - enemies he could hit for Hazel's sake. "She's a good person!" He shouted across the street. A few harpies squawked in the trees, but no one else pain them any attention. Hazel started at Frank before reaching out tentatively, as if she wanted to take his hand but was afraid he might evaporate.

"Frank…I-I don't…" But he seemed to be wrapped up in his own mind.

"I could intimidate that old man," He offered. "Maybe scare him-"

"Frank, we can't scare him," Veon said. "He holds the power here, plus he's blind so that's a major downside. Besides, we get on his bad side, he doesn't tell us the information. We can keep it for a backup, but right now that's not a very good choice. We just need to think this through."

"Hazel," I said, trying to draw that power that allowed me to say the right things. "You are  _not_  that man, understand? You are not his equivalent, and he is not your superior. You deserve Elysium, Hazel, I can tell that from here. You were willing to give it up for your mom, you were willing to give your life to buy the world much needed time, even if was only a few decades. You were brought back for a reason, Hazel. Nico didn't stumble upon you while looking for his sister and settle for the next best thing. I believe you've been brought back to finish what you started. Your mother never wanted to bring about the end of the world, and in the end, you both gave your lives to stop Alcyoneus's rise when no one else could. Now we're going to finish that giant for good, you hear me?" Hazel looked to me in surprise for a moment and then nodded.

"Right, so what's the plan?" Veon asked.

"Maybe we can get that red harpy to talk to us."

"You're going to use that food at bait?" Audrey asked.

"More like a peace offering."

"Always like her to chose the peace-offering route," Zy said. "Right, let's go. That harpy ought to tell us a bit about Phineas. There has to be some way we can swindle information out of him, and if anyone will know, it'll be the harpy that causes him the most trouble. It stands to reason that she's studied and learned some about him if she's able to get close to that food and cause Phineas harm."

"Right, let's go," Percy said. "We'll have to make sure that the other harpies don't steal anything, okay?"

"How are we gonna find her?" Frank asked.

"We let the harpies come to us, and hope she's among them," I said. "Like Percy explained, you keep the other harpies away so we can find her and negotiate information for the food." I uncovered the Thai noodles and unwrapped the cinnamon burrito. We walked down the street, the other's on guard with their weapons drawn as the fragrant steam wafted into the air. The harpies fluttered after us, perching on trees, mailboxes and flagpoles, following the smell of the food. A part of me wondered what mortals saw through the Mist. Maybe they thought the harpies were pigeons and the weapons were lacrosse sticks. Maybe they just thought the Thai mac and cheese was so good it needed an armed escort.

"There," Zy said pointing. We looked to see her circling above a stretch of parkland that ran for several blocks between rows of old stone buildings. Paths stretched through the park under huge maple and elm trees, past sculptures and playgrounds and shady benches. We crossed the street and found a bench to sit on, next to a big bronze sculpture of an elephant.

"Looks like Hannibal," Hazel said.

"Except it's Chinese," Frank said. "My grandmother has one of those." He flinched. "I mean, hers isn't twelve feet tall, but she imports stuff…from China. We're Chinese." He looked at us who were smiling and/or trying very hard not to laugh. "Can I just die from embarrassment now?"

"Don't worry about it, Frank," Zy said. "I spent a good deal of time in China. Nice eye with the Chinese elephant part. Now, let's see if we can make friends with the harpy." I held up the noodles and allowed the smell to sail upwards - spicy peppers and cheesy goodness. The red harpy circled lower.

"We won't hurt you," I promised. "We just want to talk. Thai noodles for a chance to talk, okay?" The harpy streaked down in a flash of red and landed on the elephant statue. She was painfully thin, her feathery legs like sticks. Her face would've been pretty except for her sunken cheeks. She moved in jerky birdlike twitches, her coffee-brown eyes darting restlessly, her fingers clawing at her plumage, her earlobes, her shaggy red hair.

"Cheese," She muttered, looking sideways. "Ella doesn't like cheese."

"So your name's Ella?"

"Ella. Aella. "Harpy." In English. In Latin. Ella doesn't like cheese." She said all that without taking a breath or making eye contact. Her hands snatched at her hair, her burlap dress, the raindrops, whatever moved.

"Well, I also have this burrito. I don't think it has cheese." Quicker than I could blink, she lunged, snatched the cinnamon burrito, and appeared atop the elephant again.

"Gods, she's fast!" Hazel exclaimed.

"And  _heavily_  caffeinated," Frank guessed. Ella sniffed the burrito. She nibbled at the edge and shuddered from head to foot, cawing like she was dying.

"Cinnamon is good. Good for harpies. Yum." She started to eat, but then the bigger harpies swooped down.

"Veon, give me a lift!" He kneeled with his hands together and I put my foots in his hands. He launched me up the elephant statue and I wrapped my arms around Ella, protecting her from the scratching, pecking, and pummeling of the other birds. "Go away!"

"Hey, harpies!" Audrey called. "Who wants some noodles?!" She chucked the Thai noodles as far as she could.

"Go after them!" I ordered with all the charm speak I could muster. "You love noodles!" The harpies diverted their attention to the noodles and began to fight over them. Maybe Ella didn't like cheese, but I guess that didn't mean all of them did too. I saw Hazel, Frank and Percy staring at the fight over the Thai and realized I'd accidently affected them too. "Not you three! Yo! Focus!" The three of them shook their heads and seemed to forget what just happened a moment ago. When the harpies dispersed, there were no more noodles left.

"Ella, have you eaten the burrito?" I asked. There was squirming beneath me and the sounds of Ella eating as fast as she could. When I pulled away from her, the burrito was gone. Ella was still trembling, the gash on her back from Phineas bleeding. She picked at her feathers, pulling out tufts of plumage.

"S-small Ella," She stuttered. "W-weak Ella. You help Ella."

"We can get you more food," I promised. "We want to be your friends, and we can get some more food for you, but-"

" _Friends_ ," Ella said. "'Ten seasons. 1994 to 2004.'" She glanced sideways at Percy, then looked in the air and started reciting to the clouds. "'A half-blood of the eldest gods, shall reach sixteen against all odds.' Sixteen. You're sixteen. Page sixteen,  _Mastering the Art of French Cooking_. 'Ingredients: Bacon, Butter.'"

"Ella…what was that you said?" Percy asked, seeming a little dizzy.

"'Bacon. Butter.'" She caught a raindrop out of the air.

"No, before that. Those lines…I  _know_  those lines."

"Story of my life," Zy muttered.

"And mine," Veon agreed.

"Yep," Audrey said. Next to them, Hazel shivered.

"It does sound familiar," She said. "Like…I don't know, like a prophecy. Maybe it's something she heard Phineas say?" At the name  _Phineas_ , Ella squawked in terror and flew away. "Wait! I didn't mean…Oh, gods, I'm stupid."

"It's all right," I said. "Look." Ella wasn't moving as quickly now. She flapped her way to the top of a three-story red brick building and scuttled out of sight over a roof. A single red feather fluttered down to the street. "That could be her nest. Multnomah County Library."

"Let's go see if it's open," Percy said. I hopped down from the elephant and we headed across the street and into the library. For demigods who are dyslexic, a library is our worst nightmare, but Audrey and I had worked on our reading for most of our lives, so we're pretty good at it. We jogged through the lobby, but then Percy froze in his tracks.

"Percy?" Frank asked. "What's wrong?" I sensed he was struggling for his memories of Annabeth. That's right. As a daughter of Athena, Annabeth liked books and architecture, and this place reminded me of her even though I wasn't as close to her as Percy. Said person slammed his fist into the side of a bookshelf, anger at his lost memories hitting him.

"Percy?" I asked gently. "Calm down. You'll remember eventually." I put my hand on his shoulder and felt his built up anger at his missing memories. Anger was easy to quell when it was a regular demigod and I was making physical contact, so I swept calmness over him like a tidal wave over a fire. With a few breaths, his anger faded.

"I'm…I'm all right," He said. "Just got dizzy for a sec. Let's find a way to the roof." We split up and searched around, until Veon called that he'd found a stairwell with roof access. At the top was a door with a handle alarm, but someone had propped it open with a copy of  _War and Peace._  Outside, Ella the harpy huddled in a nest of books under a makeshift cardboard shelter. The others approached slowly as not to scare her, but she didn't pay them any attention. She picked at her feathers and muttered under her breath, like she was practicing lines for a play. I walked over and sat down next to her.

"Hi, Ella. Sorry we scared you off earlier." Percy kneeled down next to me.

"Look, I don't have much food, but…" He took some of the macrobiotic jerky Iris gave him out of his pocket. Ella lunged and snatched it immediately, but when she huddled back into her nest and sniffed it, she sighed and tossed it away.

"N-not from his table. Ella cannot eat. Sad. Jerky would be good for harpies."

"Not from…oh, right. That's part of the curse. You can only eat his food."

"There has to be a way," Hazel said.

"'Photosynthesis. Noun. Biology. The synthesis of complex organic materials.' 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…'"

"What is she saying?" Frank whispered.

"She's reciting lines of books," I said. Around Ella were a large number of old and mildewed books. Some had prices written in marker on the covers, like the library had gotten rid of them in a clearance sale.

"Photosynthesis from the dictionary, and that funny run on sentence from some book that we read in high school," Veon said.

" _Farmer's Almanac 1965_ ," Ella said. "'Start breeding animas, January 26th.'"

"Have you read all of these, Ella?" Audrey asked. She blinked.

"More. More downstairs. Words. Words calm Ella down. Words, words, words." Percy picked up a book at random - a tattered copy of  _A History of Horseracing_.

"Ella, do you remember the…um, third paragraph on page 62-?"

"'Secretariat,'" Ella said instantly. "'Favored three to two in the 1973 Kentucky Derby, finished at standing track record of one fifty nine and two fifths." Percy closed the book, his hands shaking.

"Word for word."

"That's amazing," Hazel said.

"Cool," Veon agreed.

"She's a genius chicken," Frank added. Ella's knowledge was truly astounding, but I realized another reason why Phineas may want to capture Ella. Ella had recited a prophecy about a half-blood of the eldest gods that reached sixteen, and it was most likely about Percy. If Ella knew more prophecies, then Phineas might be able to utilize his knowledge of the future and match the prophecies in a kind of timeline.

"Ella, we're going to find a way to break the curse," I declared. "Would you like that?"

"'It's Impossible,'" She said. "'Recorded in English by Perry Como, 1970.'"

"Nothing's impossible. Now, look, we want to find a way to break this curse and beat…Phineas." Ella shook her head vigorously.

"N-n-no! No Phineas. Ella is quick. Too quick for him. B-but he wants to ch-chain Ella. He hurts Ella."

"We won't let him hurt you, I promise." I pulled some nectar out of my bag. I slowly put my hand on Ella, and though she flinched, she eventually relaxed. I poured some nectar on her back and her wound from Phineas began to close. "See? That's better."

"Phineas is bad. And weed whackers. And cheese."

"Absolutely. We won't let him hurt you again. We just need to figure out how to trick him. You harpies must know him better than anybody. Is there any way we can trick him?"

"N-no," Ella said. "Tricks are for kids.  _50 Tricks to Teach Your Dog_ , by Sophie Collins, call number 636-"

"Okay, Ella," I said, sending waves of calmness through my hand and into her. "What weaknesses does he have?"

"Blind. He's blind."

"Is there any way to convince him to help us?"

"Chance. Games of chance. Two to one. Bad odds. Call or fold."

"So he's a gambler?"

"Phineas s-sees things. Prophecies. Fates. God stuff. Not small stuff. Random. Exciting. And he is blind." Frank rubbed his chin.

"Any idea what she means?"

"Phineas sees the future," I said. "He knows tons of important events, but he can't see small things. He can't see what will happen in moments that aren't big, and as someone who can see the future, he takes joys in gambling things he  _can't_  predict. He can't see random occurrences, spontaneous games of chance. That makes gambling exciting for him. If we can tempt him into making a bet…"

"You mean if he loses, he has to tell us where Thanatos is," Veon said. "But what do we have to offer? He seems to be the guy who likes high stakes. Two choices: one you live, one you die. If one of our lives are on the line, he may agree to it, as long as there's something big in it for him in return. We're  _not_  giving him Ella, that's for sure."

"But what would a blind old man who can see the future and brought back from the dead…?" I began before realization struck me. "Wait a minute…A  _blind_  old man!"

"Sight," Ella muttered, reading my thoughts. "Sight is good for blind men. Healing…nope, nope. Gaea won't do that for Phineas. Gaea keeps Phineas b-blind, dependant on Gaea. Yep."

"Gorgon's blood," Everyone except Hazel said together.

"What?" She asked, clearly unhappy at being the only one left out.

"A game of chance," Veon said. "Two options, live and get his sight back or die. High stakes. Lives on the line. Something big in it for him. All standards are met." Frank brought out two ceramic vials he got from the Little Tiber after Percy and Audrey defeated the gorgons.

"Genius. Unless we die, of course."

"Don't worry about that," Percy said. "I've got a plan." Percy began to explain.

"But we can't guarantee you'll survive!" Hazel protested.

"Gaea wants him alive, right?" Audrey asked.

"He plays an important role in her rise," Zy said. "That much I can see clearly. There are things I have to keep quiet since the future is a dangerous thing, but I'd put my bets on Percy being more important that that old seer."

"Well, if she puts her bets on something, I'd follow her lead," Veon said.

"Trust me, it's best not to go against her," Audrey agreed. Reluctantly, the others agreed.

"Are we clear on what you're going to say?" Zy asked. Percy nodded. After a little convincing from me, I got Ella to agree to come with us. Phineas was right where we left him in the middle of the food truck parking lot. He sat on his picnic bench with his bunny slippers propped up, eating a plate of greasy shish kebab. His weed whacker (which I'd reluctantly had to leave with him last time we were here) was at his side, and his bathrobe was smeared with barbecue sauce.

"Welcome back!" He called cheerfully. "I hear the flutter of nervous little wings. You've brought me my harpy?"

"She's here, but she is not yours," I declared. Phineas sucked the grease off his fingers. His milky eyes seemed fixed on a point just above my head.

"I see…Well, actually, I'm blind, so I  _don't_  see. Have you come to kill me, then? If so, good luck completing your quest."

"I've come to gamble," Percy said. The old man's mouth twitched. He put down his shish kebab and leaned toward Percy.

"A gamble…how interesting. Information in exchange for the harpy? Winner take all?"

"No, the harpy isn't a part of the deal." Phineas laughed.

"Really? Perhaps you don't understand her value."

"She's a person!" I declared. "She isn't for sale. We understand her value perfectly, and that's why you aren't getting your hands on her today."

"Oh, please! You're from the Roman camp, aren't you? Rome was  _built_  on slavery. Don't get all high and mighty with me. Besides, she isn't even human. She's a monster. A wind spirit. A minion of Jupiter."

"News flash, it's the 20st century," Veon said. "Time changes things." Ella squawked nervously, backing away.

"'Jupiter. Hydrogen and helium. 63 satellites.' No minions. Nope." I put my arm around Ella's wings and sent her more waves of comfort and calmness. Percy brought out the ceramic vials.

"I have a different wager. We've got two flasks of gorgon's blood. One kills; one heals. They look exactly the same. Even we don't know which is which. If you choose the right one, it could cure your blindness." Phineas held out his hands eagerly.

"Let me feel them. Let me smell them."

"Not so fast," Zy said. "First you must agree to the terms."

"Terms…" Phineas was breathing shallowly, and I could sense his waves of eagerness to take the offer. "Prophecy  _and_  sight…I'd be unstoppable. I could  _own_  this city. I'd build my palace here, surrounded by food trucks. I could capture that harpy myself!"

"N-noo," Ella said nervously. "Nope, nope, nope." A villainous laugh is hard to pull off when you're wearing pink bunny slippers, but Phineas gave it his best shot.

"Very well, demigod. What are your terms?"

"You get to choose a vial," Percy said. "No uncorking, no sniffing before you decide."

"That's not fair! I'm blind."

"And I don't have your sense of smell," Percy countered, Zy having provided him with counters to anything Phineas could say beforehand. "You can hold the vials. And I'll swear on the River Styx that they look identical. They're exactly what I told you: gorgon's blood, one vial from the left side of the monster, one from the right. And I swear that none of us knows which is which." He looked to Veon. "Uh, you're our Underworld expert. With all this weird stuff going on with Death, is an oath on the River Styx still binding?"

"Oh yeah," He said. "Styx knows that death is far from the only punishment for breaking her oaths. A number of times she can deal out things much worse than death, and with death no longer an option, well…you don't wanna break a vow right now. She'll make death look like a mercy. Trust me, you break an oath that you're just gonna eat something and then don't, and she'll basically declare war on you.  _Scary_." Phineas stroked his beard in thought.

"So I choose which vial to drink. You have to drink the other one. We swear to drink at the same time."

"Right," Percy said.

"The loser dies, obviously. That kind of poison would probably keep even  _me_  from coming back to life…for a long time, at least. My essence would be scattered and degraded. So I'm risking quite a lot."

"But if you win, you get everything," Percy wagered. "If I die, my friends will swear to leave you in peace and not take revenge. You'd have your sight back, which even Gaea won't grant you." The old man's expression soured, and I could feel that Percy struck a nerve. Phineas wanted to see. As much as Gaea had given him, he resented being kept in the dark.

"If I lose, I'll be dead, unable to give you information. How does that help you?" I smiled, as we had already addressed this earlier as well.

"You write down the location of Alcyoneus's lair ahead of time. Keep it to yourself, but swear on the River Styx it's specific and accurate. You also have to swear that if you lose and die, the harpies will be released from their curse."

"Those are high stakes. You face death, Percy Jackson. Wouldn't it be simpler just to hand over the harpy?"

"Not an option." Phineas smiled slowly.

"So you really  _do_  understand her worth. Once I have my sight, I'll capture her myself, you know. Whoever controls that harpy…well, I was a king once. This gamble could make me a king again."

"You're getting ahead of yourself. Do we have a deal?" Phineas tapped his nose thoughtfully.

"I can't foresee the outcome. Annoying how that works. A completely unexpected gamble…it makes the future cloudy. But I can tell you this, Percy Jackson - a bit of free advice. If you survive today, you're not going to like your future. A big sacrifice is coming, and you won't have the courage to make it. That will cost you dearly. It will cost the  _world_  dearly. It might be easier if you just choose the poison."

"Choosing the poison guarantees an even worse fate for the world," Audrey said. "He'll face trials, but that's our life. If he survives, he gets the chance to prevent things, and a chance is the biggest gamble a demigod can have."

"Just as you like the joys of an unpredictable gamble, we prefer the uncertainty of our lives," I said. "You can see the future, yes, but all beings know one thing for certain about the future as well. We are going to die. Those who are immortal, invincible, seemingly eternal, will all meet an end at one point or another. Whether it's within the next week, or after the stars have blinked out. Even the gods will end, maybe not in death, but ceasing to exist. Whether Gaea rises or falls, whether we succeed or fail, nothing will last forever. But knowing that, we will take pleasure in the gamble we call life. I assume you can make the connection. Though you can see the future and such, you can't predict the outcome of this game. Though we know we are all going to die, we don't know the events that come beforehand. Death is a certainty one way or another. Living isn't. It can go any way, and we're going to take that chance. So, do we have a deal?"

In the trees around the parking lot, the harpies gathered to watch as if they sensed what was at stake. Zy said Percy's odds were high, though she also mentioned that her powers of predictability were weakening. His odds could be one hundred or zero, no fifty-fifty. But it was clear Phineas would agree. We'd planned this out perfectly, and his greed for power was going to make him take this risk. He grinned.

"I swear on the River Styx to abide by the terms, just as you have described them," He said. "Frank Zhang, you're the descendant of an Argonaut. I trust your word. Zytaveon, you know the risks of breaking an oath to the River Styx. Zyanya, a goddess like you understands the importance of a vow. If I win, do you and your friends Emily, Audrey, and Hazel swear to leave me in peace and not seek revenge?"

"I swear it on the River Styx," Veon said.

"As do I," Zy said.

"I swear," I said.

"Me too," Audrey agreed. Frank's hands were clenched so tight, I thought he might break his spear, but he managed to mumble his response.

"I swear it."

"I swear as well," Hazel concluded.

"Swear," Ella muttered. "'Swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon.'" Phineas laughed.

"In that case, find me something to write with. Let's get started." Zy pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from the bag at her right hip and passed them to the seer. He turned and scribbled something on the paper before he put it in his bathrobe pocket and passed back the pen. "I swear this is the location of Alcyoneus's lair. Not that you'll live long enough to read it."

"Veon?" Zy asked. Veon drew his lance and swept all the food off the picnic table. Phineas sat on one side and Percy sat on the other while the rest of us stood behind Percy. Phineas held out his hands.

"Let me feel the vials." Percy gazed at the hills in the distance and I could tell he was making a silent message to Gaea. She said he was important and he needed to be alive until we made it north? Well then she was going to have to prove who was more important, him or Phineas, because one of them was about to die. Phineas curled his fingers in a grasping motion.

"Losing your nerve, Percy Jackson? Let me have them." Percy passed him the vials. The old man compared their weight, running his fingers along the ceramic surfaces. Then he set them both down on the table and rested one hand lightly on each. A tremor passed through the ground - a mild earthquake. I looked to Zy, and she moved her eyes to the left without moving anything else. Her Apollo ability to sense vibrations had told her that the vial on the left seemed to shake slightly more than the one of the right. Sure enough, Phineas grinned wickedly and closed his fingers around the left vial.

"You were a fool, Percy Jackson. I choose this one. Now we drink." Percy took the vial on the right, clearly shaking. The old man raised his vial. "A toast to the sons of Neptune." They both uncorked their vials and drank. That's when I saw Zy smile. Immediately, Percy doubled over, coughing and struggling to breath.

"Percy!" Audrey shouted.

"Oh gods," Hazel muttered.

"Nope!" Ella said. "Nope, nope, nope."

"Yes!" Phineas cried, sitting up straighter, grinning in triumph, blinking his eyes in anticipation. "Any moment now, my sight will return!"

"Percy? Percy?!" Audrey shouted, gripping his shoulders. "Percy, you can't die!"

"He's not," Veon muttered. "There's no death in him. Pain, sure, but no death."

"Know this, Phineas," Zy said. "My power of the future is not so impaired as you might think." Percy gasped for breath…and suddenly he could breathe again. At the same moment, Phineas hunched over like he's been punched. "Gorgon's blood is very sneaky. Blood from the left side will make you believe you're safe, before it kills you as painfully as possible. The cruelty of believing your safety and that you'll be healed only adds to the terror of when the true poison kicks in. Insult to injury, I suppose you could say. Not many know this, as no one's ever been stupid enough to gamble gorgon's blood. Heck, getting two vials, one from each side, is hard enough to procure in the first place. As for the right side, it makes you suffer a slight amount of pain in return for its healing properties. In essence, the two are exactly opposite, though I assume we've already established this. Thank you and goodnight, you sorry excuse for a seer."

"You…you can't!" The old man wailed and I tried to block out his emotions of betrayal and fear. "Gaea, you…you…!" He staggered to his feet and stumbled away from the table, clutching his stomach. "I'm too valuable…!" Steam came out of his mouth, a sickly yellow vapor rising from his ears, his beard, and his blind eyes. "Unfair! You tricked me!" He tried to claw the piece of paper out of his robe pocket, but his hands crumbled, his fingers turning to sand.

"No one tricked you," I said. "You made your choice freely, and we hold you to your oath." The blind king wailed in agony. He turned in a circle, steaming and slowly disintegrating until there was nothing left but an old, stained bathrobe and a pair of bunny slippers.

"Those," Frank said, "are the most disgusting spoils of war  _ever_."

"Trust me, a few millennia of knowledge, and you'll have known worse," Zy said. She walked over and pulled the old man's note out of his pocket. Hazel prodded the robe with her sword. There was nothing underneath, and no sign that Phineas was trying to reform. She looked to Percy in awe.

"That was either the bravest thing I've ever seen, or the stupidest."

"So you were right," Audrey said. "Gaea really was willing to kill off her own servant just for you, Percy. That must mean you're really important."

"Well, I have no doubt that she plans to make his death a little more painful for forcing the choice upon her," Zy said.

"Plans," Ella muttered. "Plans and plots. The lady in the ground. Big plans for Percy. Macrobiotic jerky for Ella." Percy handed her the whole bag of jerky and she squeaked with joy. "Nope, nope, nope. Phineas, nope. Foods and words for Ella, yep."

"So what's it say?" I asked Zy. She held up the piece of paper.

"Hubbard Glacier."

"All that risk for two words," Percy muttered.

"It's a pretty famous place, and to our advantage. We've still got a long way to go, but it's near that tail part of Alaska, and pretty close to the Canadian border. If we can get him under the right circumstances, I might just be able to drag him the few miles we need to kill him. Of course, if Percy's dream is correct, which it most likely will be, we're going to have to face a pretty large army as well. It's still not going to be an easy task." In the trees around the parking lot, the other harpies finally overcame their shock. They squawked with excitement and flew at the nearest food trucks, diving through the service windows and raiding the kitchens. Cooks shouted in many languages, the trucks actually shook from the chaos, and feathers and food boxes flew everywhere.

"We'd better get going," Percy said. "We're running out of time."


	22. Trials and Hazel's Judgment

First Person: Zytaveon

 _Well the boy may be close, but he's never going to survive. Neither is that girl, for that matter. You'll be dead by August. Besides, Gaea's let a little boy loose that'll ruin your attempts to stop her or save your husband_.

Dead by August. Coming from a seer, however evil and mad he may be…

Gaea's let loose a little boy…

"That girl" means he was talking about Lucy, but "the boy?" There are two possibilities. Either she has some boy somewhere that she's preparing for something, or he was talking about me. He was talking to Zy, and the closest male to her that's known her the longest is me. But what am I close to? What am I supposed to be surviving? And what's Lucy supposed to be surviving too?

" _Friends_ ," Ella muttered. "'Ten seasons. 1994 to 2004.' Friends melt Phineas and give Ella jerky. Ella will go with friends." We ended up making her a nest out of old books and magazines that we'd liberated from the library's recycling bin. We hadn't really planned on taking her with us, but she acted as though the matter was decided, and Emily wasn't one to turn down the harpy, so we all agreed to it. Now we sailed down the Columbia River with Ella roosting comfortably in the stern, nibbling bits of jerky and reciting random lines from Charles Dickens and  _50 Tricks to Teach Your Dog_. Emily eventually got Ella to start telling the whole book the Iliad, something we'd all been meaning to read but never got to, and Ella was happy to comply.

Percy was at the bow, steering us towards the ocean, while Hazel and Frank sat shoulder to shoulder on the back bench. Emily and Audrey were at the front, while Zy and I sat in the middle one. I stared at her, trying to put the pieces together, but I was still missing vital information. Her problem, he goal, the center of the web that tied all the information together. I knew she was dying, I knew she'd lost her husband but was trying to save him. I knew Lucy and I were most likely going to have to face some kind of challenge risking our survival. She said Gaea was the reason for her power loss, and it's possible the whole "Dead by August" thing wasn't confirmed and just a prediction. Not to mention the whole thing about Gaea bringing back a little boy that would ruin Zy's plans. Maybe I was jumping to conclusions, but that  _had_  to be Kaze, right?

My guess was that her husband had been imprisoned by Gaea and she was losing power in turn. Soon, she'd be weakened or gone, and it was up to Lucy and I to save them both. Their disappearance will cause some kind of unknown havoc, allowing Gaea's rise to go unimpeded. But I still didn't have enough information as to what we had to do in order to rescue them, or what kind of harsh trials we'd be exposed to. She should tell us what to do while she's still here. Then again, Zy did say that giving one the answers made the answers invalid. Maybe there's a trial on our two hearts that we're having to face. It would explain her inability to reveal information, and why Gaea bringing Kaze back, someone who clearly held great weight within Lucy's heart, may mean the difference between success and failure.

"You're close," Zy muttered to me.

"Hm?"

"Trials are hard. These shall be brutal. I'm trying to prepare you as best I can, but in the end, it may not matter."

"We'll make it," I promised.

"Not even you can guarantee that. Even I don't know what's to come, but I know that you cannot say you'll survive, that you'll come through victorious. Don't promise me that. It's going to hurt all the more if you're proven wrong. If you go into a situation too confident, that's when you fall. Or was that seer not enough evidence for you? You can believe you're going to win all you want, but once you feel you're safe, that's when the poison strikes and you're dead." I sighed.

"All right. Then I won't say we'll make it." I looked her in the eye. "But I can say that I'm going to try with all my might."

"That's the thing, you see," She said, looking down. "This trial shall bend your heart. Just like Jason and Percy, you will be stripped of foreknowledge, bias, anything that will drive you forward or protect you. Then your raw heart will be judged, challenged, and scarred beyond measure. Even if you make it out, you may never be the same."

"Well, like with Percy back there. I'd rather take the risk that allows me even the slimmest chance of success than give up. We don't know what will happen if Zyanya and her husband both disappear, but Gaea wants it, so it means that it's bad. I'm not turning back, I'm not giving up, and I'm not despairing. I have to walk into this one way or another, but even if I fail, I'm going to try. I'll walk into these trials willingly, even if once I'm in there, I may lose the will to go on." She scoffed.

"I dare say I did a good job of preparing you. However, that would mean I'm saying we're safe, which would then jinx us, so I'd best not allow my heart to be swayed by hope. What's to come makes fighting Alcyoneus and saving Camp Jupiter sound like a nice vacation."

"What do you plan to do after all this is over? I mean, not to assume anything, but what if?"

"Hm. Go about my life again, I guess. If we do succeed, Zyanya will have her husband back, and before they got separated they would travel around the world seeing what there is to see. I'm not going back to school, but I'll allow the goddess to decide what she wants to do, and I'll allow her to use me to do so."

"What about you? Isn't there anything  _you_  want to do?"

"Not really. I never had a life, and there's not much I want. Low standards. Besides, Zyanya and I won't conflict as often if we succeed in the trials to come, so I doubt there's anything she's going to want that I don't. We'll make it work. The point is that the goddess and her husband will be alive and together."

"Well you'd better come and play videogames with me at camp. Plus, didn't you say you wanted to be a writer? And you're a really good singer too."

"Goals to accomplish with Zyanya. She and her husband apparently went around doing things like that. For example, they once participated in a Shakespeare play. Her husband totally ruined it, by the way. Started saying totally stupid things, laughing at parts that weren't meant to be laughed at, etc."

"He sounds…like a party."

"Yeah. In any case, I plan to do a lot of traveling and such. Doing all kinds of things, maybe fighting the occasional monster along the way. I'll visit camp, of course. Demigods are always fun, but you'd be surprised how many other places there are for special people, not just demigods. Not that we should expect to make it to that point."

"Still, a goal to look forward to. And college in New Rome is always a possibility." She slumped dramatically.

"Zyanya's been in enough hosts that have gone to college for me to be considered done with it too, right? I don't wanna go to f-ing college~! I've had enough with learning and studying and writing millions of essays and tests and waking up at a reasonable time in the morning!" I smiled.

"Well it's an option if we ever want a break from the demigod life. With Zyanya, you don't even have to play by the rules when it comes to school, and you have it easy when it comes to the actual learning thanks to the goddess.  _I'm_  the one who shouldn't be considering school. I'm not social, so that's no reason to go, and I think I'm educated enough. Learning things is cool and all, but forcing kids to remember so much information that we're probably going to forget the moment we're out of school and will most likely never use again in our lives is  _not_  worth it. Just because someone's got some kind of degree doesn't mean they remember everything they've learned, and it doesn't mean they're a reliable person. It just means this person has officially suffered the torture called education. Congratulations! Now they're finally gonna go out and get a job after wasting years learning information that they're now going to forget."

"True that. Mortals. Are. Weird."

"I do enjoy working in the Underworld, though. Maybe I'll go back there once this war is over."

"Maybe. But it's far too early to be planning such things. Best we live in the moment instead of worrying about a future we have no control over yet."

"I guess." She looked down at the water and I could see the sorrow in her face. "Hey, whatever happens in the trials, don't worry about it right now, okay? They're gonna be hard, I get it, but don't let it get you down right now." She looked to the sky now, but refused to look at me.

"You're right. I've been trying to do as you're telling me all this time, but you see how that's working out. I try not to let my mind wander there, but…it's one of those things where you just want it to be over with, you know? I want to face it right now, but I know there's more waiting before things reach the worst point, and anticipation is going to eat away at me from the inside out. The trials aren't going to be a fast process."

"Well for now…just sing." She looked to me now in confusion

"Hm?"

"Songs always take your mind off things, you know? At least, that's how I feel, and as a descendant of Apollo, you should have an amplified liking for music, right? Music is powerful when you sing it. So, sing. Get your mind off reality, or make reality better. I like it when you sing." She stared for a moment, and I wondered if I'd said something wrong. But then she looked down at the boat with a thoughtful face, considering it. Then, suddenly, she began singing.

" _You've got it all, you lost your mind in the sound_ , _  
_ _There's so much more, you can reclaim your crown_ ,  
 _You're in control, rid of the monsters inside your_   _head_ ,  
 _Put all your faults to bed; You can be king again._ "

She started the song from the beginning, and everyone in the boat started listening. When she was done, there was a moment of silence before Emily suggested we sing more songs together to pass the time. So we did, and Zy summoned a guitar, though it technically played all the music for the songs, not just a guitar version of them. Wonders of a woman with a goddess's powers.

"Water break," Audrey said. She pulled out water bottles for everyone out of her bag.

"Wait, you just have a million water bottles in that thing?" I asked. "How much does that weigh?" She shrugged.

"Some. Did you really expect a daughter of Neptune to not carry around a bunch of water? What do you carry in your bag?"

"Uh, nectar and ambrosia, change of clothes, money, snacks,  _one_  water bottle."

"What kind of snacks?" Percy asked. I dug around and grabbed a bag of snacks.

"Uh, Slim Jims, granola bars, fruit snacks."

"I got some sodas and muffins from Phineas's table," Frank offered.

"Sure, and I'll take a Slim Jim and some fruit snacks," Zy said. "It's near dinner time anyway, and we all could use some food in our stomachs." Frank, Audrey and I passed around snacks and drinks. The sun was beginning to set on June 21st, and the Feast of Fortune would happen in the evening 72 hours from now. We began to chat amongst ourselves despite my throat feeling really dry from singing. Good thing Audrey had freshwater to spare for us, considering salt water apparently heals her faster than freshwater.

"So can you make salt water fresh?" I asked.

"With a little concentration, yeah. I mean, it requires turning the water into a gas and then returning it to a liquid, but still."

"Can you do that whole blood-bending thing from Avatar?"

"I've been working on it, but I've never actually done it before. It's a lot more complex than you'd think."

"She has to make sure that she doesn't actually stop the flow of blood," Zy explained. "She has to keep the blood pumping properly through someone while manipulating it. Not to mention that blood isn't the only liquid within the body."

"I've been training by recreating a working cardiovascular system with water, which is a  _lot_  harder than it sounds, and it sounds pretty hard. Just look at a picture of all the veins, and then imagine trying to shape the water into all of those veins and arteries and such, move them in the desired way while also keeping all of the "blood" pumping properly. These things don't happen like magic. There's a lot more to concentrate on then the anime would suggest. Theoretically, I could stop the flow of blood to the brain for a few seconds and someone would have permanent brain damage or even die."

"Uh, cool. What about you, Em? You learn any new powers?"

"Not really. I've just been improving my charm speak and emotion control. As you saw during the war games, I've gotten good at the shut down. And Audrey's been teaching me how to use my dagger more effectively. What about you? You learned that whole chain trick, right?"

"Yeah, well that only works on things that should be dead, and not that well, mind you. At best, my chains can only delay reforming these days. Once Thanatos is back in action, my chains should be able to capture those who've escaped death. He's a god, but with everyone coming back, they need to be killed again in order for him to take them back. Once we free him, monsters will stay dead, but he's not going to go out and collect everyone that's come back to life. Most likely, that's going to be mine and Nico's job. I've done my work judging the human souls, but dad's gonna need help collecting all the escapees considering Death's job is just to  _keep_  'em down, not  _bring_  'em down." Hazel looked down, and I realized she had come back from the dead. Would dad send out a request for her return to the Underworld too?

"It's okay, Hazel," Frank said to her quietly while the others continued talking. "My mom used to say you shouldn't try to carry a problem alone. But if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay." Hazel took a shaky breath, but there was a kind of resolve I was seeing within her.

"You were right when you guessed I came back from the Underworld," She said. "I'm…I'm an  _escapee_. I shouldn't be alive." She began to tell her entire story, and the others quieted down. She explained how her mother had summoned Pluto and fallen in love with a god. She explained her mother's wish for all the riches in the earth, and how that had turned into Hazel's curse. She described her life in New Orleans, though she didn't mention Sammy. Considering he was a previous boyfriend, and she and Frank seemed to be close, I couldn't blame her. She described Gaea slowly taking her mother's mind, how they had moved to Alaska, how she'd helped raise Alcyoneus, and how she had died, sinking the island into Resurrection Bay. When she finished, she looked as though she expected us to be mad at her or something. Instead, Frank took her hand.

"You sacrificed yourself to stop the giant from waking. I could never be that brave."

"It wasn't bravery. I let my mother die. I cooperated with Gaea too long. I almost let her win."

"You did what you had to, Hazel," I said. "You did what you did because you loved your mother, and maybe you couldn't save her, but you did the best that you could when put in that tough situation. And like you said. You  _almost_  let her win. You knew that running and escaping from that place was an option, but you and your mother knew that dying the way you did was better than sacrificing yourself for that giant. You bought the world time, Hazel, and that's why we're all here today. There was nothing more that you could've done back then, but we're here now to finish what you started, right?"

"You stood up to a goddess all by yourself," Percy said. "You did the right…" His voice trailed off as if he'd had an unpleasant thought. "What happened in the Underworld…I mean, after you died? You should've gone to Elysium, but if Nico brought you back-"

"I didn't go to Elysium," Hazel said. "Please don't ask…" But she began to slip into one of her blackouts.

"Hazel?" Frank asked.

"'Slip Sliding Away,'" Ella muttered. "Number five U.S. single. Paul Simon. Frank, go with her. Simon says, Frank go with her."

"Take her hand, Frank," I said, grabbing his wrist and slipping his hand into Hazel's. Next thing all of us knew, the three of us fell into Hazel's past. The three of us stood in Charon's boat, crossing the Styx. Debris swirled in the dark waters - a deflated birthday balloon, a child's pacifier, a little plastic bride and groom from the top of a cake - all the remnants of human lives cut short.

"Wh-where are we?" Frank asked. He and I were shimmering in our ghost-like states, while Hazel was her solid self living out her past.

"Hazel's past," I said. "It's just an echo, don't worry. Just sit back and watch." The boatman turned and grinned. One moment he was a handsome African man in an expensive silk suit, and the next moment he was a skeleton in a dark robe.

"Told you I'd take you across, didn't I?" He asked in a British accent. He addressed Hazel, completely ignorant of Frank and I. "'Sall right you don't have a coin. Wouldn't be proper, leaving Pluto's daughter on the wrong side of the river." The boat slid onto a dark beach, and Hazel walked through the black gates of Erebus with us following behind. The spirits parted for us, sensing Hazel was a child of Pluto (considering Frank and I weren't technically here). Cerberus growled in the gloom, but he also let us pass. I'd long since learned that Cerberus was a sweetheart if you got on his good side, so I wasn't as terrified by the dog as I once had been the first time we'd met. Inside the gates, we walked into a large pavilion and stood before the judges' bench. Three black-robed figures in golden masks stared down at Hazel.

"Oh great, these guys," I muttered.

"Who…?" Frank began.

"They'll decide her fate. Watch." The judges asked no questions, instead simply looking into her mind, pulling thoughts from her head and examining them like a collection of old photos.

"Thwarted Gaea," The first judge said. "Prevented Alcyoneus from waking."

"But she raised the giant in the first place," The second judge argued. "Guilty of cowardice, weakness."

"She is young," The third one said. "Her mother's life hung in the balance."

"My mother," Hazel said. "Where's is she? What is her fate?" The judges regarded her, their golden masks frozen in creepy smiles.

"Your mother…" The image of Marie Levesque shimmered above the judges. She was frozen in time, hugging Hazel as the cave collapsed, her eyes shut tight.

"And interesting question," Judge two said. "The division of fault."

"Yes," The first said. "The child died for a noble cause. She prevented many deaths by delaying the giant's rise. She had courage to stand against the might of Gaea."

"But she acted too late," The third said sadly. "She is guilty of aiding and abetting an enemy of the gods."

"The mother influenced her," The first judge argued. "The child can have Elysium. Eternal Punishment for Marie Levesque."

"No!" Hazel shouted. "No, please! That's not fair." The judges tilted their heads in unison. Please, someone understand these three. I'd met them, and they were truly an odd bunch. I couldn't tell if they understood human actions and emotions. It was reasonable considering judges had to take soul-oaths not to be biased in their judging and only consider hard facts, but still.

"Beware, Hazel Levesque," The first judge warned. "Would you take full responsibility? You could lay this guilt on your mother's soul. That would be reasonable. You were destined for great things. Your mother diverted your path. See what you might have been…" Another image appeared about the judges. Hazel saw herself as a little girl, grinning with her hands covered in finger paint. The image aged and Hazel saw herself growing up - her hair becoming longer, her eyes sadder. She saw herself on her thirteenth birthday, riding across the fields on her borrowed horse with Sammy. She saw herself in Alaska, trudging down Third Street in the snow and darkness on her way home from school. Then the image aged further, and Hazel saw herself at twenty. She looked a lot like her mother, her hair gathered back in braids, her golden eyed flashing with amusement. She wore a white dress - a wedding dress? She was smiling so warmly, and I knew instinctively that she must be looking at someone special - someone she loved.

If I were judging Hazel, I'd never show her such things. If I was presented with someone like Hazel, I'd be able to tell her soul was kind and that she'd never throw all the guilt on her mother just to get to Elysium. I could tell just from looking at Hazel now that she wasn't yearning for that life, she didn't wonder who she'd married. She was thinking of her mother right now, the life that she could've had if Gaea hadn't twisted her. And that alone would've gotten her into Elysium for me, and I'd hear a request to lower her mother's sentence as well. Hazel was selfless, humble and gracious. She'd made mistakes, but just look at her soul. She wasn't an evil person. It wasn't her intention or goal to raise the giant. And in the end, her mother regretted her choices too, realizing that she'd made a mistake listening to the earth goddess. She didn't deserve the Eternal Punishment, even if she didn't deserve Elysium either. I'd have sent Hazel to Elysium and her mother to the Fields of Asphodel. These judges may never understand that though.

"You lost this life," The first judge said simply. "Special circumstances. Elysium for you. Punishment for your mother."

"No," Hazel said. "No, it wasn't all her fault. She was misled. She  _loved_  me. At the end, she tried to protect me."

"Hazel, what are you doing?" Frank asked.

"Shh, just watch," I said. The judges paid the two of us no attention. Finally, the second judge sighed.

"No resolution. Not enough good. Not enough evil."

"The blame must be divided," The first judge agreed. "Both souls will be consigned to the Fields of Asphodel. I'm sorry, Hazel Levesque. You could have been a hero." We passed through the pavilion, into yellow fields that went on forever. Hazel led us through a crowd of spirits to a grove of black poplar trees.

"You gave up Elysium," Frank said in amazement. "All so your mother wouldn't suffer?"

"She didn't deserve punishment," Hazel said.

"Those stupid three," I muttered. "They can't see the goodness within your mother that happened at the very end. They just weigh good deeds against bad, not where that good or bad came from. Your mom turned around in the end, Hazel. Just because she made a lot of mistakes doesn't mean she wasn't capable of changing. It's infuriating."

"So…what happens now?" Frank asked.

"Nothing," Hazel said. "Nothing…for all eternity." We drifted around aimlessly, spirits around us chattering like bats - lost and confused, not remembering their pasts or even their names.

"This place is meant to be a neutral ground," I said. "The people don't feel joy and happiness like they would in Elysium, but they also don't know pain and sorrow like they would in Punishment. So they're wiped clean. They aren't happy, but they also aren't sad. This is like an eternal dream, an endless trance."

"I remembered," Hazel said. "Perhaps it was because I'm a daughter of Pluto, but I never forgot who I was, or why I was here. Remembering made my afterlife harder. So many times I tried to walk to my father's palace…" She pointed to a large black castle in the distance. "I could never reach it. I can't leave the Fields of Asphodel."

"Did you ever see your mother again?" Frank asked. Hazel shook her head.

"She wouldn't know me, even if I could find her. This was the best that I could do for her." We sat under a black poplar tree, listening to the screams from the Fields of Punishment. In the distance, under the artificial sunlight of Elysium, the Isles of the Blest glittered like emeralds in a sparkling blue lake. White sails cut across water and the souls of great heroes basked on the beaches in perpetual bliss. Far too cheery and happy for my taste. There, everyone was happy, great, but I felt that these people needed to come back down to earth. That's why the view in my room at dad's palace is of the Fields of Asphodel and not Elysium or the Isles of the Blest. I like the neutral tone here, not the spoiled people in Elysium, and not the suffering people in Punishment.

"You didn't deserve Asphodel," Frank protested. "You should be with the heroes."

"This is just an echo," Hazel said. "We'll wake up, Frank. It only  _seems_  like forever."

"That's not the point! Your life was taken from you. You were going to grow up to be a beautiful woman. You…" He face darkened. "You were going to marry someone…" He said quietly. "You would have had a good life. You lost all that." Hazel swallowed, her eyes watering. It would only take a small bit of bitterness to end up like Queen Marie.  _I deserve better_ , her mother always said. Hazel didn't want to feel that way, I sensed it in her soul. In the end, Queen Marie wasn't her mother. Marie Levesque realized that her daughter was all she needed, and  _that_  was the person Hazel looked to.

"I'm sorry, Frank," She said. "I think your mother was wrong. Sometimes sharing a problem doesn't make it easier to carry."

"But it does." He slipped his hand into his coat pocket. "In fact…since we've got an eternity to talk, there's something I want to tell you." He brought out his half-burned piece of driftwood, about the same size as a pair of glasses.

"What is…?" Hazel began before it hit her. "Phineas said your life depends on a burned stick-"

"It's true. This is my lifeline, literally." He explained how the goddess Juno had appeared when he was a baby, how his grandmother had snatched the piece of wood from the fireplace. "Grandmother said I had gifts - some talent we got from our ancestor, the Argonaut. That and my dad's being Mars…" He shrugged. "I'm supposed to be too powerful or something. That's why my life can burn up so easily. Iris said I would die holding this, watching it burn." Frank turned the piece of tinder in his fingers, and I felt like I was intruding on a moment he and Hazel should be having alone. I guess I was. I hadn't intended to come with Frank when Hazel blacked out. I just did. Whoops.

"Frank, how can you carry that around with you?" Hazel asked. "Aren't you terrified something will happen to it?"

"That's why I'm telling you." He held out the firewood. "I know it's a lot to ask, but would you keep it for me?" Hazel hesitated.

"Frank…you  _know_  who I am. I'm Pluto's daughter. Everything I touch goes wrong. Why would you trust me?"

"You're my best friend." He placed the firewood in her hands. "I trust you more than anybody." Before she could protest, a shadow fell over us. "Our ride is here." Oh, right. We were still reliving Hazel's past. Nico di Angelo stood over us in his black overcoat, his Stygian iron sword at his side. He didn't notice Frank or me, but he locked eyes with Hazel and seemed to read her whole life. I remembered this from Nico's memories.

"You're different," He said. "A child of Pluto. You remember your past."

"Yes, and you're alive," Hazel noticed. Nico studied her, and I knew he was considering what to do with her. He couldn't just abandon her, could he?

"I'm Nico di Angelo. I came looking for my sister. Death has gone missing, so I thought…I thought I could bring her back and no one would notice." Oh Nico. This was  _you_  we're talking about. Son of Hades, got a bit of notoriety. Of course someone would notice. Not just dad, but everyone who knew Bianca died. Hadn't he made some resolve earlier that Bianca was fine where she was, being dead? But the temptation took over. Despite what he says, he misses his sister. I had to admit, from what I could see from Nico's memories of her, I felt a little furry towards her for joining the Hunters of Artemis and leaving Nico behind like that.

I'm not sure what to make of the Hunters in general, really. I mean, what's so wrong with boys? Not our fault we were born male, and it's not our fault if we have different qualities than them. And what's so wrong with loving someone? Being in a tight-knit group of hunters is great, not to mention the whole immortality thing and what not, but I never really cared for the whole aging thing considering death doesn't really scare me, and I wouldn't want to work with a group of people just hunting for the rest of my life. I'd want to be able to do whatever I want, stay at Camp Half-Blood/Camp Jupiter any time I wished, fight monsters on occasion but not for a living, and come to the Underworld and work for my dad. I wouldn't want to be stuck in one specific lifestyle for eternity, or at least until I die. They're great and all, but I won't claim to understand them. But hey, that's just me. Maybe it's because I'm a guy. What were we talking about again? Oh right, Nico.

"Back to life?" Hazel asked. "Is that possible?"

"It should have been," Nico said before sighing. "But she's gone. She chose to be reborn into a new life. I'm too late."

"I'm sorry." He held out his hand.

"You're my sister too. You deserve another chance. Come with me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "King" by Lauren Aquilina


	23. Meet the Amazons

First Person: Lucy

"Hazel," Percy said, shaking her shoulders.

"Guys, wake up," Emily said. "We've reached Seattle." The three of them sat up groggily, squinting at the morning sunlight.

"Frank?" Hazel asked. Said person groaned, rubbing his eyes.

"Did we just…was I just-?"

"You both passed out," Audrey said. "Don't know why, but Ella and Zy said not to worry about it. Said you were…sharing?"

"Sharing," Ella agreed. She crouched in the stern, preening her wing feathers with her teeth, which didn't look like a very effective form of personally hygiene. She spit out some red fluff. "Sharing is good. No more blackouts. Biggest American blackout, August 14, 2003. Hazel shared. No more blackouts." Percy scratched his head.

"Yeah…we've been having conversations like that all night. I still don't know what she's talking about." Hazel patted her coat pocket, and I could tell that Frank's firewood had transferred there during the blackout.

"You  _were_  there," She said to him.

"Wait, you mean you guys  _shared_  a blackout?" Percy asked. "Are you guys both going to pass out from now on?"

"Nope," Ella said. "Nope, nope, nope. No more blackouts. More books for Ella. Books in Seattle."

"She's right," I said. "That should be the last of your blackouts, Hazel. You've gone through your past. Time to live your present now." Hazel looked down, pondering the prospect of her blackouts finally coming to an end. Of course, if Hazel was put under the right conditions, she could will a blackout, maybe to show someone her past, but they wouldn't happen spontaneously anymore.

Percy steered the boat toward the downtown docks. As we got closer, Ella scratched nervously at her nest of books. I couldn't blame her. This was Amazon territory, and they were a bit…err, eccentric. Seattle was a beautiful place otherwise. It was a bright, sunny day, and Seattle looked nice, with inlets and bridges, wooded islands dotting the bay, and snowcapped mountains rising in the distance. Still, I could sense the Amazons with their eyes on us.

"Um…why are we stopping here?" Hazel asked. Percy showed them Reyna's ring on his necklace.

"Reyna has a sister here," He explained. "She asked me to find her and show her this."

"Reyna has a  _sister?_ " Frank asked, like the idea terrified him. Percy nodded.

"Apparently Reyna thinks her sister could send help for the camp."

"Amazons," Ella muttered. "Amazon country. Hmm. Ella will find libraries instead. Doesn't like Amazons. Fierce. Shields. Swords. Pointy. Ouch."

"That just sounds like the Romans in general," Veon commented. Frank reached for his spear.

"Amazons? Like…female warriors?"

"Like the Hunters of Artemis, only even  _more_  annoying."

"That would make sense," Hazel said. "If Reyna's sister is also a daughter of Bellona, I can see why she'd join the Amazons. But…is it safe for us to be here?"

"Nope, nope, nope," Ella said. "Get books instead. No Amazons."

"It's perhaps not the safest place, especially for the males in our group," I admitted. "The Amazons will show great prejudice against you. However, we must try. The camp needs all the help they can get when it comes to that army."

"And I promised Reyna," Percy said. "Besides, the Pax isn't doing too great. I've been pushing it pretty hard." They looked down and saw water leaking between the floorboards.

"Oh." Audrey waved her hand and the water seeped out before freezing in some of the holes.

"Well, the thing isn't gonna last forever," She said. "We'll either need to fix it or find a new boat. The two of us are pretty much holding it together with will power alone at this point. Any idea where we can find the Amazons?"

"And, um," Frank said nervously. "They don't, like, kill men on sight, do they?"

"No, Frank," I said. "They just prefer if you don't talk without permission. Don't act high and mighty in their presence, and try not to draw weapons if you can avoid it. They're trained fighters, and they're good. You'll be dead in seconds if you get on their bad side." Ella glanced down at the downtown docks, only a few hundred yards away.

"Ella will find friends later. Ella will fly away now." And she did.

"Well…" Frank picked a single red feather out of the air. "That's encouraging." We docked at the wharf. We barely had time to unload the supplies before the Pax shuddered and broke into pieces. Most of it sank, leaving only a board with a painted eye and another with the letter P bobbing in the waves.

"Guess we're not fixing it," Audrey muttered. "What now?" Percy stared at the steep hills of downtown Seattle.

"We hope the Amazons will help."

"So where we going?" Veon asked.

"I'll admit…I don't know," I said. "I can maybe get us close, but the Amazons value their privacy."

"Then I guess we're stuck looking." We walked around searching for hours. We found some great salty caramel chocolate at a candy store, we bought some coffee so strong, it had my goddess head buzzing, and we stopped at a sidewalk café and had some excellent grilled salmon sandwiches. Once we even saw Ella zooming between high-rise towers, a large book clutched in each foot. But no Amazons yet. Finally, we wandered south of downtown, into a plaza surrounded by smaller glass and brick buildings.

"There," I said pointing. A office building on our left had a single word etched on the glass doors:  **AMAZON**.

"Uh, are we sure?" Frank asked. "That's a modern thing. They're a company, right? They sell stuff on the Internet. They're not actually Amazons."

"No, trust me." We walked through the doors, and I knew we were in the right place. The lobby was like an empty fish tank - glass walls, a glossy black floor, a few token plants, and pretty much nothing else. Against the back wall, a black stone staircase led up and down. In the middle of the room stood a young woman in a black pantsuit, with long auburn hair and a security guard's earpiece. Her name tag said  **KINZIE** , and though her smile was friendly enough, I knew there was a cold warrior hidden within her. I'm sure Zyanya remembered someone named Kinzie from her previous visits of the Amazons, but it was hard to tell.

"May I help you?" She asked.

"Uh, we're looking for the Amazons," Audrey said. Kinzie glanced at our weapons, none of which should've been visible through the Mist.

"This is the main campus for Amazons," She said cautiously. "Did you have an appointment with someone, or-"

"Hylla," Percy interrupted. "We're looking for a girl named-" Kinzie suddenly kicked Frank in the chest and sent him flying backward across the lobby. She pulled a sword out of thin air, swept Percy off his feet with the flat of the blade and then moved to deal with Veon. Despite Kinzie's Amazon speed, he managed to block her sword with the cuff that was his lance. Kinzie wasn't caught off guard though, and she reared back to strike again. This time, I caught her sword as the others drew their weapons.

"Did I not mention that whole "they don't like it when you talk without permission" thing?" I asked.

"You did, but this is Percy we're talking about," Audrey said. Hazel reached for her sword and Audrey had her water bottle opened, but considering we were trying to befriend them, Emily and Audrey refrained from looking hostile. A dozen more girls in black flooded up the staircase, swords in hand, and surrounded us.

"Easy, we don't want trouble," Emily said. "We just want to talk to Hylla."

"Trespassing on our territory is punishable by death," Kinzie said. "You'll meet Queen Hylla, all right. She'll be the one deciding your fate."

"Well then, ladies," I said. "Take us to your leader."

"How long have you been wanting to say that?" Veon asked. One of the Amazons moved to strike him, but I spun and kicked her weapon away.

"A while, now," I admitted. "You might want to be quite though." He shrugged and then began clicking his tongue in Morse code.

" _I'm not one to be quiet_." I smiled and he smirked. " _This considered speaking?_ "

"Probably." He shrugged. "Anyway." I released Kinzie's weapon. "So, shall we be going?" The Amazons confiscated all of our weapons before marching us down numerous flights of stairs. Of course, my team was far from powerless without our weapons, and should trouble occur, we'd be fine.

We finally emerged in a cavern so big it could have accommodated ten high schools, sports fields and all. Start fluorescent lights glowed along the rock ceiling, conveyor belts wound through the room like waterslides, carrying boxes in every direction, aisles of metal shelves stretched out forever, stacked high with merchandise, cranes hummed and robotic arms whirred, folding cardboard boxes, packing shipments, and taking things on a off the belts. Some of the shelves were so tall they were only accessible by ladders and catwalks, which ran across the ceiling like theater scaffolding. Almost all the work was being done by computers and robots, and the only humans I could see were some black-suited security women patrolling the catwalks, and some men in orange jumpsuits, like prison uniforms, driving forklifts though the aisles, delivering more pallets of boxes. The men even wore collars around their necks.

" _Disgusting,_ " Veon clicked.

" _Hai_ ," I agreed.

"You keep  _slaves?_ " Emily asked.

"The men?" Kinzie snorted. "They're not slaves. They just know their place. Now, move." We walked a good distance before Kinzie opened a large set a double doors, leading us into another cavern, just a big as the first.

"The  _Underworld_  isn't this big," Hazel complained.

" _How long have_ you _spent in the Underworld?_ " Veon clicked.

"You'd be surprised, Hazel," I translated.

"You admire out base of operations?" Kinzie asked, smiling smugly. "Yes, our distribution system is worldwide. It took many years and most of our fortune to build. Now, finally, we're turning a profit. The mortals don't realize they are funding the Amazon kingdom. Soon, we'll be richer than any mortal nation. Then - when the weak mortals depend on us for everything - the revolution will begin!"

"I'll be sure to keep an eye out for that," I muttered.

"What are you gonna do?" Frank grumbled. "Cancel free shipping?" A guard attempted to slam the hilt of her sword into his gut, but then Emily got in the way and took the hit instead. Percy tried to help, but Emily held her hand out and he froze.

"You'll learn respect," Kinzie said. "It's males like you who have ruined the mortal world. The only harmonious society is one run by women. We are stronger, wiser-"

"So much more humble," Percy muttered. The guards tried to hit him, but Emily grabbed their weapons.

"No more," She declared. "You say women are better? Prove it. You're no better than men if you're barbaric enough to just beat them until they submit. You are no better than men if you become overbearing and treat them in such a way. You're no wiser than a monkey if you start acting like animals that treat men like animals that don't deserve any rights. At least men in the mortal world are trying to change the way things are, treating women as equals. Men can respect women, but not when you're holding them at knifepoint to do so. You can't criticize men when you're acting just as worse. Now, you said Hylla is going to judge us? Then take us to her. We're wasting time."

"Perhaps you're right," Kinzie said. "We have more important problems. And time…time is definitely an issue."

"What do you mean?" Hazel asked. A guard grunted.

"We could take then straight to Otrera," She said. "Might win her favor that way."

"No!" Kinzie snarled. "I'd sooner wear an iron collar and drive a forklift. Hylla is queen."

"Until tonight," Another guard muttered.

"You don't have the right to say anything like that," I said. "Hylla is your queen, and you will respect her fully. Only the moment she is dead can you say she is no longer queen and no sooner. I don't care what you believe or who you're rooting for later tonight, but you will keep your opinions to yourself and stay loyal to your queen until then. Mortal men plot against their leaders. You're no better than any man in history if you turn your loyalties upon her now. Are we clear?" The guard looked to me, but I made sure she knew to respect me.

"Yes, ma'am," She said.

"Then let's go." We crossed a lane of forklift traffic, navigated a maze of conveyor belts, and ducked under a row of robotic arms that were packing up boxes. "You really must reorganize someday. It's only gotten  _more_ cluttered since the last time I was here." Most of the merchandise looked pretty ordinary: books, electronics, baby diapers. But against one wall sat a war chariot with a big barcode on the side. Hanging from the yoke was a sign that read:  **ONLY ONE LEFT IN STOCK. ORDER SOON! (MORE ON THE WAY)**.

Finally we entered a smaller cavern that looked like a combination loading zone and throne room. The walls were lined with metal shelves six stories high, decorated with war banners, painted shields, and the stuffed heads of dragons, hydras, giant lions, and wild boars. Standing guard along either side were dozens of forklifts modified for war. An iron-collared male drove each machine, but an Amazon warrior stood on a platform in back, manning a giant mounted crossbow. The prongs of each forklift had been sharpened into oversized sword blades. The shelves in the room were stacked with cages containing animals - black mastiffs, giant eagles, a gryphon, and a red ant the size of a compact car which I think was a myrmeke. A forklift zipped into the room, picked up a cage with a beautiful white pegasus, and sped away while the horse whinnied in protest. It hurt both me and Zyanya within me to see this place. Men were treated no better than slaves, though the Amazons claimed otherwise, and the animals were shipped off in such terrible ways. I could only hope these animals were being sent off to places where they'd be treated properly.

"What are you doing to that poor animal?" Emily demanded. Kinzie frowned.

"The pegasus? It'll be fine. Someone must've ordered it. The shipping and handling charges are steep, but-"

"You can  _buy_  a pegasus online?" Percy asked. Kinzie glared at him.

"Obviously  _you_  can't, male. But Amazons can. We have followers all over the world. They need supplies."

"That's just cruel," Audrey muttered. "I'm technically related to pegasi."

"This way." At the end of the warehouse was a dais constructed from pallets of books: stacks of vampire novels, walls of James Patterson thrillers, and a throne made from about a thousand copies of something called  _The Five Habits of Highly Aggressive Women_. Again, the Amazons were weirder than mortals, and more to my disliking. Ella would just love a bunch of books like that. At the base of the steps, several Amazons in camouflage were having a heated argument while a young woman, Queen Hylla, watched and listened from her throne.

Hylla was in her twenties, lithe and lean as a tiger. She wore a black leather jumpsuit and black boots. She had no crown, but around her waist was a belt made of interlocking gold links, like the pattern of a labyrinth. That was the belt of the Queen of the Amazons, allowing her Wonder-Women-like abilities. She looked very similar to Reyna, a little older perhaps, but with the same long black hair, the same dark eyes, and the same hard expression, like she was trying to decide which of the Amazons before her most deserved death. Hylla was a woman I could respect, as she didn't treat men like dirt. She was at least a little kinder to them, seeing that they had  _some_  rights. Kinzie grumbled with distaste as she looked to the argument.

"Otrera's agents, spreading their lies."

"Of  _course_  Otrera would be back," I muttered. "I swear, if she becomes queen again, I'm going to blast that Amazon into Chaos where she can never return." Suddenly Hazel stopped so abruptly the guards behind her stumbled. A few feet from the queen's throne, four Amazons guarded two cages. Inside were two horses, majestic and powerful stallions, one with a honey colored coat and a black mane and the other pure black but with a kind of silver sheen. The horses looked to our group.

" _About time you got here,_ " The honey colored one said.

"It's him," Hazel murmured.

"Him who?" Audrey asked. Kinzie looked to see where Hazel was looking and her expression seemed to soften.

"Ah yes, beautiful, aren't they?" Hazel blinked in shock, as though she couldn't believe they were real. Veon looked at them more in confusion than shock, but he did seem to recognize them. Zyanya must've met the horses before, but I was left only with a feeling of familiarity, even if I couldn't truly recall them.

"Is he…are they for sale?" Hazel asked. The guards all laughed.

"That's Arion and Zoltan," Kinzie said patiently, seemingly understanding Hazel's fascination. "They're royal treasures of the Amazons - to be claimed by only our most courageous warriors, if you believe the prophecy."

"Prophecy?" Emily asked. Kinzie's expression became pained, almost embarrassed.

"Nevermind. But no, they're not for sale."

"Then why are they in cages?" Hazel asked. Kinzie grimaced.

"Because…they are difficult." Right on cue, Arion slammed his head against the cage door and Zoltan's slight silver aura glowed brighter with a pulse of energy. The metal bars shuddered, and the guards retreated nervously.

" _Yeah, "difficult!"_  Arion said. " _And don't you forget it, you…!_ " Damn, that horse could curse.

"Aren't  _they_  adorable?" I asked with a smile.

"Just asking," Hazel said when she realized a lot of eyes were on her. "Let's see the queen." The argument at the front of the room grew louder. When Hylla noticed our group approaching, she snapped.

"Enough!" The arguing Amazons shut up immediately. Hylla waved them aside and beckoned Kinzie forward. I walked forward while the others were shoved toward the throne by Kinzie.

"My queen, these demigods-" Suddenly Hylla shot to her feet.

"You!" She glared at Percy with a murderous rage.

"And here we go," I said with a sigh. Percy muttered a curse in Ancient Greek.

"Clipboard," Percy said. "Spa. Pirates." Hylla nodded, stepping down from her dais of best sellers and drawing a dagger from her belt.

"You were incredibly foolish to come here," She said. "You destroyed my home. You made my sister and me exiles and prisoners."

"Percy," Frank said uneasily. "What's the scary woman with the dagger talking about?"

"Circe's Island," Percy said. "I just remembered. The gorgon's blood - maybe it's starting to heal my mind. The Sea of Monsters. Hylla…she welcomed us at the docks, took us to see her boss. Hylla worked for the sorceress." Hylla bared her white teeth.

"Are you telling me you've had amnesia? You know, I might actually believe you. Why else would you be stupid enough to come here?"

"Done by Juno herself," I said.

"We come in peace, ma'am," Emily insisted. "What did Percy do?"

"Peace?" The queen questioned, raising her eyebrow. "What did he  _do?_  This  _male_  destroyed Circe's school of magic!"

"Circe turned me into a guinea pig!" Percy protested.

"No excuses!"

"Actually, that's a pretty good excuse in my book," I muttered.

"Circe was a wise and generous employer. I had room and board, a good health plan, dental, pet leopards, free potions - everything! And  _this_  demigod with his friend, the blonde-"

"Annabeth." Percy tapped his forehead like he wanted the memories to come back faster. "That's right. I was there with Annabeth."

"You released our captives - Blackbeard and his pirates. Have you ever been kidnapped by pirates? It isn't fun. They burned our spa to the ground. My sister and I were their prisoners for months. Fortunately we were daughters of Bellona; we learned to fight quickly. If we hadn't…" She shuddered. "Well, the pirates learned to respect us. Eventually, we made our way to California where we-" She hesitated as though the memory was painful. "Where my sister and I parted ways. Of course, I survived and prospered. I have risen to be queen of the Amazons. So perhaps I should thank you."

"Your welcome," Percy said. The queen gritted her teeth and gripped her dagger.

"Nevermind. I think I'll kill you."

"No!" Emily shouted. "Reyna sent us! Your sister! Look at the ring on his necklace. Percy has made peace with Reyna and she's sent us here to look for you." Hylla frowned, looking to Percy's necklace, and when she saw the silver ring, the color drained from her face.

"Explain this. Quickly." I began to explain Camp Jupiter, Reyna being praetor, the army of monsters marching south and our quest to free Thanatos in Alaska. As I talked, another group of Amazons walked into the room. One was taller and older than the rest, with plaited silver hair and fine silk robes like a Roman matron. The other Amazons made way for her, treating her with respect. Otrera. Previous queen of the Amazons - the first one, in fact, revived from the dead with Thanatos's capture. Zyanya wasn't a fan of her, and neither was I. I knew that we'd have to be careful not to say the right things in her presence, because she was going to dual Hylla tonight to try and take the throne of the Amazons, and Gaea would most likely not bring Hylla back for her own rematch unless she agreed to serve her needs. Hylla was impulsive and aggressive, but she was far smarter and stubborn in a good way. I'd much prefer her over Otrera. Otrera already had a good deal of Amazons on her side though, so we had to be careful.

"So Reyna's requesting any aid you can provide," I finished. Hylla grabbed Percy's leather cord, yanking it off his neck, beads, ring, probatio tablet and all.

"Reyna…that foolish girl-"

"Well!" Otrera interrupted. "Romans need our help?" She laughed and the Amazons around her joined in. "How many times did we battle the Romans in my day? How many times have they killed our sisters in battle? When I was queen-"

"Otrera," Hylla interrupted. "You are here as a guest. You are  _not_  queen anymore." The older woman spread her hands and made a mocking bow.

"As you say - at least until tonight. But I speak the truth,  _Queen_  Hylla. I've been brought back by Mother Earth herself! I bring tidings of a new war. Why should Amazons follow Jupiter, that foolish king of Olympus, when we can follow a  _queen?_  When I take command-"

" _If_  you take command," I corrected. "But for now, Hylla's word is law. You have no guarantee that you shall be victorious tonight. Don't assume anything when you don't prophetic powers. Being overconfident results in your demise."

"And you are?" I turned to her and allowed Zyanya to show.

"A woman far beyond Mother Earth."

"I see." She looked to the assembled Amazons, who were standing very still, knowing the danger that could occur in this room. "Have we become so weak that we listen to  _male_  demigods? Will you spare the life of this son of Neptune, even though he once destroyed your home? Perhaps you'll let him destroy your  _new_ home, too!" The Amazons looked back and forth between Hylla and Otrera, watching for any sign of weakness. Emily looked to Otrera, and then looked to Hylla.

"I will pass judgment," Hylla said calmly. "Once I have all the facts, of course. That is how  _I_  rule - by reason, not fear. First, I shall talk with these ones. It is my duty to hear out female warriors before I sentence her or her allies to death. That is the Amazon way. Or have your years in the Underworld muddled your memory, Otrera?" The older woman sneered, but Emily glared at her and she kept her mouth shut. Hylla turned to Kinzie. "Take these males to the holding cells. The rest of you, leave us."

"Hold. This one stays," I said, nodding to Veon. "He is in a male body, but he is a god. My partner and I are gender neutral, but we chose these bodies. Not his fault he got the short straw on the male body. As such, we both have the right to speak to the queen of the Amazons. If anyone wishes to argue, I would be happy to prove my case." The Amazons looked to Hylla and Otrera. Emily was looking to Otrera, and so she didn't say anything.

"That one may stay then," Hylla said. "Take the other two males to the holding cells and the rest of you leave us." Otrera raised her hand.

"As your  _queen_  commands. But any of you who would like to hear more about Gaea and our glorious future with her, come with me!"

"Gaea will destroy you the moment the war is won," Emily declared. "She only cares for her children, giants, titans, monsters from Tartarus, the majority of which are male. The Amazons will become a threat to her once she has the power because of your might. She'll use you until she's accomplished her goal, and then she disposes of the ones that pose a threat to her after she has what she wants. I've seen it a million times. That is all following her will accomplish. Keep that in mind." Otrera glared, but Emily returned the look and Otrera suddenly turned and walked out of the room without retaliating. About half the Amazons slowly followed her out of the room, considering Emily's words. Kinzie snorted with disgust at Otrera, but she and her guards hauled Percy and Frank away. Soon, only the queen's personal guards remained with us, and at Hylla's signal, even they moved out of earshot. When Hylla looked to us, her anger dissolved and I saw the desperation in her eyes clearly. She looked like one of her caged animals being whisked off on a conveyor belt.

"We must talk. We don't have much time. By midnight, I will most likely be dead."

"Well, I would place my bets on you over Otrera," I said. "For tonight at the least."

"I thank you for that." Veon clicked his tongue as fast as he could, since Morse was effective, but slow.

"Oh, can he have permission to speak?"

"Permission granted."

"Oh, thank you," Veon sighed in relief.

"Fair warning, forget about escape. Of course, we'd respect you for trying, but we'd have to kill you."

"Thanks, I think," Audrey said. Hylla shrugged.

"The least I can do. I believe you come in peace. I believe Reyna sent you."

"But you won't help?" Hazel asked. The queen studied the necklace she'd taken from Percy.

"It's complicated. Amazons have always had a rocky relationship with other demigods - especially  _male_ demigods. We fought for King Priam in the Trojan War, but Achilles killed our queen, Penthesilea. Years before that, Hercules stole Queen Hippolyta's belt - this belt I'm wearing. It took us centuries to recover it. Long before that, at the very beginning of the Amazon nation, a hero named Bellerophon killed our first queen, Otrera-"

"You mean the lady-?"

"-who just left, yes. Otrera, our first queen, daughter of Ares."

"Mars?" Hylla made a sour face.

"No, definitely  _Ares_. Otrera lived long before Rome, in a time when all demigods were Greek. Unfortunately, some of our warriors still prefer the old ways. Children of Ares…they are always the worst."

"The old ways…" Hazel pondered. "You mean Amazons are a mix…Greek  _and_  Roman?" Hylla continued to examine the necklace - the clay beads, the probatio tablet. She slipped Reyna's silver ring off the cord and put it on her own finger.

"I suppose they don't teach you about that at Camp Jupiter. The gods have many aspects. Mars, Ares. Pluto, Hades. Being immortal, they tend to accumulate personalities. They are Greek, Roman, American - a combination of all the many cultures they've influenced over the eons. Do you understand?"

"I-I'm not sure. Are all Amazons demigods?" The queen spread her hands.

"We all have  _some_  immortal blood, but many of my warriors are descended from demigods. Some have been Amazons for countless generations, others are children of minor gods. Kinzie, the one who brought you here, is the daughter of a nymph. Ah, here she is now." Kinzie approached the queen and bowed.

"The prisoners are safely locked away," Kinzie reported. "But…"

"Yes?" Kinzie swallowed like she had a bad taste in her mouth.

"Otrera made sure  _her_  followers are guarding the cells. I'm sorry, my queen."

"Such a thing could be useful," I said. Hylla pursed her lips.

"No matter. Stay with us, Kinzie. We were just talking about our, ah, situation."

"Otrera," Veon guessed. "Gaea brought her back from the dead to throw the Amazons into civil war." The queen exhaled.

"If that was her plan, it is working. Otrera is a legend among our people. She plans to take back the throne and lead us to war against the Romans. Many of my sisters will follow her."

"Not all," Kinzie grumbled.

"But Otrera is a spirit!" Hazel protested. "She isn't even-"

"Real? I worked with the sorceress Circe for many years. I know a returned soul when I see one. When did  _you_  die, Hazel - 1920? 1930?"

"1942. But…but I wasn't sent by Gaea. I came back to stop her. This is my second chance."

"Your second chance…" Hylla gazed at the rows of battle forklifts, now empty. "I know about second chances. That boy, Percy Jackson, he destroyed my old life. You wouldn't have recognized me back then. I wore dresses and makeup. I was a glorified secretary, an accursed Barbie doll." Kinzie made a three-fingered claw over her heart, like a voodoo gesture used for warding off some kind of evil. That was something I could agree on. "Circe's island was a safe place for Reyna and me. We were daughters of the war goddess, Bellona. I wanted to protect Reyna from all that violence. Then Percy Jackson unleashed the pirates. They kidnapped us, and Reyna and I learned to be tough. We found out that we were good with weapons. The past four years, I've wanted to  _kill_  Percy Jackson for what he made us endure."

"You at least had some sanctuary," I said. "If Reyna came to Camp Jupiter four years ago, it means that your suffering didn't last all that long from the time Percy destroyed Circe's island to when you parted in California. You had something to miss, that life without worry. I never had that. I was running from the moment I could stand on my own two feet, and even before that, someone else ran for me while I was an infant. For twelve years of my life, I didn't know whether I'd eat more than a loaf of bread per day, I didn't know if I'd be able to sleep more than four hours a night if I was lucky, I didn't know if I'd stay warm at night, and I didn't have anyone beside me. Anyone that I dared to care for was taken from me, and I was a helpless child unable to do anything about it. You've now found a home, and though there is turmoil, you know where you belong. I still don't have that luxury. Reyna became the praetor of Camp Jupiter. You became queen of the Amazons. Reyna says that though things were hard, you both are better free of that place. I would assume this was your destiny." Hylla fingered the necklace in her hand.

"I may not be queen for much longer."

"You will prevail," Kinzie insisted.

"As the Fates decree," Hylla said without enthusiasm. "You see, Otrera has challenged me to a duel. Every Amazon has that right. Tonight at midnight, we'll battle for the throne."

"But…you're an excellent fighter, right?" Emily asked. Hylla managed a dry smile.

"Good, yes, but Otrera is the founder of the Amazons."

"She's a lot older," Audrey said. "Maybe she's out of practice, having been dead for so long."

"I hope you're right. You see, it's a battle to the death…"

"So even if you kill her, she'll just come back," Veon concluded. "As long as Thanatos is chained, she won't stay dead. That's cheating if there ever was such a thing."

"Exactly. Otrera has already told us that she  _can't_  die. So even if I manage to defeat her tonight, she'll simply return and challenge me again tomorrow. There is no law against challenging the queen multiple times. She can insist on fighting me every night, until she finally wears me down. I can't win."

"There has to be a way," Hazel insisted. "Don't Amazons have…special powers or something?"

"No more than other demigods. We can die, just like any mortal. There  _is_  a group of archers who follow the goddess Artemis."

"The Hunters of Artemis," Veon said.

"Yes. They are often mistaken for Amazons, but the Hunters forsake the company of men in exchange for almost endless life. We Amazons - we would prefer to live life to the fullest. We love, we fight, we die."

"Well, Hunters die too," I said. "They just don't age."

"Why do so many people hate men?" Veon asked. Hylla and Kinzie both laughed.

"Hate men?" The queen asked. "No, no, we like men. We just like to show them who's in charge."

"Excuses, excuses. You treat them no better than slaves here, no matter what you claim. Men can be foolish brutes and idiots, yes, but that's not their fault, and not  _all_  men are like that. I, for one, treat women like equals, while you treat men like animals."

"It's beside the point, Ve," I said. "I allow Amazons to roam as they do because I like  _some_  of them. Might as well. They haven't done major world domination yet. Once they do that,  _then_  I may consider blasting them all to oblivion, but for now, they're tolerable. The matter at hand now is whether the Amazons will be able to assist Camp Jupiter."

"If I could, I would rally our troops and ride to my sister's aid," Hylla said. "Unfortunately, my power is tenuous. When I am killed in combat - and it's only a matter of time - Otrera will be queen. She will march to Camp Jupiter with our forces, but she will not go to help my sister. She'll go to join the giant's army."

"We've got to stop her," Hazel said. "My friends and I killed Phineas, one of Gaea's other servants in Portland. Maybe we can help!"

"Amazons deal with Amazons problems," I said. "As queen, Hylla must fight her own battles or appear weak and unworthy of her crown."

"Besides, your friends are imprisoned," Hylla agreed. "If I let them go, I'll look weak. Either  _I_  execute you as trespassers, or Otrera will do so when she becomes queen."

"So I guess we're both dead," Hazel said. "Me for the second time." In the corner cage, the stallion Arion whinnied angrily. He reared and slammed his hooves against the bars.

"Man, that horse has got a vocabulary," Audrey said.

"Agreed," Veon muttered.

"Yeah, he's tempered," I said.

"I think he feels your despair," Emily said.

"Interesting," Hylla said. "They're immortal, you know - the sons of Neptune and Ceres."

"Two gods had horses for kids?" Hazel asked.

"Long story."

"Oh…"

"So I've got two brothers that are horses," Audrey said before shrugging. "I guess I've seen weirder."

"The fastest and most powerful horses in the world," Hylla said. "Pegasus is more famous, with his wings, but Arion runs like the wind over land and sea, no creature is faster, while Zoltan possesses magic and strength, able to do a seemingly limitless range of abilities. He tends to stick around Arion, but he disappears and reappears with ease. It took us years to capture them - two of our greatest prizes. But it did us no good. The horses will not allow anyone to ride them. I think they hate Amazons. And they are expensive to keep. They will eat anything, but they prefer gold."

"Gold?" Hazel asked. Veon and Hazel looked to each other before Veon shrugged. He stomped his foot and a chunk of gold are the size of a plum was pushed out of the earth. He grabbed it and motioned for Hazel to repeat the process. She kneeled and pressed her hand against the floor. Immediately, the stone cracked and a similar gold piece came up as well.

"How did you…?" The queen gasped. "Be careful!" The two walked up to the stallions' cages. Hazel put her hand between the bars of Arion's cage, while Veon did the same with Zoltan. The two horses gingerly ate the chunks of gold.

"Ha, awesome," Veon muttered before petting his horse.

"Unbelievable," Kinzie said. "The last girl who tried that-"

"Now has a metal arm," Hylla finished. She studied the two with new interest. "We've spent years hunting for these horses. It was foretold that the most courageous female warrior would someday master Arion and ride him to victory, ushering a new era of prosperity for the Amazons. Yet  _no_  Amazon can touch him, much less control him, and Zoltan is a mystery that none of us can solve. Even Otrera tried and failed to tame the horses. Two others died attempting to ride them." Hazel stroked Arion's nose and he nuzzled her arm, murmuring contentedly.

" _More gold? Yum._ " Zoltan whinnied lightly and Veon laughed.

"You and I are going to get along greatly, my friend." Arion said something.

"Whoa, you eat gold with that mouth?" Audrey asked.

"He says he wants more," Veon translated.

"I would feed you more, Arion," Hazel said before glancing pointedly at the queen. "But I think I'm scheduled for an execution." Hylla looked from Hazel to Arion and Veon to Zoltan.

"Unbelievable."

"The prophecy," Kinzie said. "Is it possible…?" I could see the gears turning inside the queen's head.

"You have courage, Hazel Levesque. And it seems Arion has chosen you." Veon clicked Morse with his tongue.

" _Glad to be appreciated._ "

" _Just go with it,_ " I clicked back to him.

"Kinzie?" Hylla continued.

"Yes, my queen?"

"You said Otrera's followers are guarding the cells?" Kinzie nodded.

"I should have foreseen that. I'm sorry-"

"No, it's fine."

"It  _would_  be embarrassing for Otrera if her followers failing in their duties," I said. "If, for instance, they were overcome by a few outsiders and a prison break occurred."

"Love playing prison break," Audrey muttered.

"Yes, it would be most embarrassing," Hylla agreed. "Of course, none of my guards would know a  _thing_ about this. Kinzie would  _not_  spread the word to allow an escape."

"Certainly not," Kinzie agreed.

"And we couldn't help you, but if you somehow overpowered the guards and freed your friends…if, for instance, you took one of the guards' Amazon cards-"

"With one-click purchasing enabled," Kinzie continued. "Which will open the jail cells with one click."

"If - gods forbid! - something like that were to happen, you would find your friends' weapons and supplies in the guard station next to the cells. And who knows? If you made your way back to this throne room while I was off preparing for my duel…well, as I mentioned, Arion and Zoltan are very fast and powerful horses. It would be a shame if they were stolen and used for an escape."

"My team are  _not_  very good fighters," I said. "It would be terribly hard for them to assist in any escape. If we were to escape and free Thanatos so that Otrera couldn't be killed, you may only have to defeat her for a maximum of maybe two or three nights."

"It seems we both have impossible tasks ahead of us."

"But you're trusting us," Emily said. "And we trust you. You  _will_  win, as many times as it takes." Hylla nodded, holding out Percy's necklace. Audrey took it and slipped it into her pocket.

"I believe you, Emily Hezesto. And I shall do as you say. But the sooner you succeed the better, yes?" We each shook the queen's hand. These Amazons are the reason I haven't wiped them off the map yet. Some of them are likeable. Reyna had a good sister.

"This conversation never happened," Hylla told Kinzie. "Take our prisoners to the cells and hand them over to Otrera's guards. And, Kinzie, be sure you leave before anything unfortunate happens. I don't want my loyal followers held accountable for a prison break." The queen smiled mischievously and I saw the side of her I admired.

"We'll make sure to keep your followers out of this," Veon said. "You have my word, for whatever it's worth, of course."

"Take the word of a god," I said. "We'll be careful." I pulled out a small bag and tossed it to Hylla. "There are some snacks in there that should heal you to full strength. Take one if you start feeling weary against Otrera. Before a battle of course; I don't wish to make you cheat. It may help you last a while longer. It's only fair considering Otrera will be restored to full strength after every battle as well. In the end, it's still you that has to beat her, but this will make sure it's a little more fair." She nodded.

"Goodbye, my friends. If we both die tonight…well, I'm glad I met you."


	24. Prison Break and the Zhang Mansion

First Person: Zytaveon

The Amazon jail was at the top of a storage aisle, sixty feet in the air. Kinzie led us up three different ladders to a metal catwalk, tying our hands loosely behind our back and walking us along past crates of jewelry. A hundred feet ahead, under the harsh glow of fluorescent lights, a row of chain-link cages hung suspended from cables. Percy and Frank were in two of the cages, talking to each other in hushed tones. Next to them on the catwalk, three bored looking Amazon guards leaned against their spears and gazed at little black tablets in their hands like they were reading.

"You know, you have a lot of jewels around here," Zy muttered. "I mean if someone could control them, think of the waves of precious metals that could just come to life and attack someone. Without killing them, of course."

"Em?" I asked. "Be ready, Hazel." The two women nodded.

"Hey! You three!" Emily shouted. "What are you waiting for?! You think Kinzie can handle all of us by herself? She's good, but there are five of us. Come over here and help her!" The Amazons set down their reading tablets and walked over without arguing. "You can go, Kinzie, I think they've got us." Kinzie nodded and left while the three guards took got behind us and shoved us forward.

"Duck!" I ordered and our group of five did so together. Suddenly then entire pallet of jewelry exploded with a sound like a thousand slot machines hitting the jackpot. A tidal wave of silver friendship bracelets poured across the catwalk, washing the Amazons right over the railing. They would've fallen to their deaths, but I still needed their Amazons cards. Plus, Emily would scold me, and I did  _not_  want to get on that girl's bad side. We didn't  _need_  to kill them, after all. I summoned a few hundred bracelets, which leaped at the guards and lashed around their ankles, leaving them handing upside down from the bottom of the catwalk, screaming like little girls. I waved my hand and some of the friendship bracelets melted to reshape into a couple spiders of silver that grabbed some of the Amazon cards and climbed up the chains and to us.

"Thank you, very much," Zy said, grabbing one of them. I looked to the other two in my hands.

"Sorry Doris and Lulu!" I called before we ran off to the cages and swiped the cards, the doors popping open.

"That was… _amazing_ ," Frank said.

"I will never wear jewelry again," Percy agreed.

"Except this," Audrey said, passing him his necklace. "Our weapons and supplies are at the end of the catwalk. We should hurry. Pretty soon-" Alarms began wailing throughout the cavern. "Yeah, that. Let's go!" We hurried and retrieved our things no problem and then started climbing down the ladder. Every time Amazons swarmed beneath us, demanding our surrender, Emily concentrated and some began to collapse, or Hazel and I made crates of jewelry explode, burying some in a Niagara Falls of gold and silver. When we got to the bottom of the ladder, we found a scene that looked like Mardi Gras Armageddon - Amazons trapped up to their necks in bead necklaces, several more upside down in a mountain of amethyst earrings, and a battle forklift buried in silver charm bracelets.

"You, Hazel Levesque, are entirely  _freaking_  amazing," Frank said.

"Yeah, well Veon did a lot of work too," She said.

"Thanks, but we need to move!" I said. "To the throne room!" As we ran to the throne room, we stumbled across one Amazon who must've been loyal to Hylla, as she turned away like we were invisible.

"What the-?" Percy began.

"Some of them  _want_  us to escape," Audrey said. "No time to explain." The next Amazon we encountered wasn't so friendly, dressed in full armor, blocking the throne-room entrance. She spun her spear with lightning speed. Percy drew Riptide and charged, but suddenly she froze. Her face looked panicked, and I realized Audrey had her arms out and her eyes closed. Percy was still on the move though, cutting her spear shaft in half and slamming the hilt of his sword against her helmet. Audrey dropped her arms and the guard crumbled.

"Mars Almighty," Frank muttered. "How did you…? That wasn't any Roman technique!" Percy grinned.

"The graecus has some moves, my friend. After you." We ran into the throne room, and as promised, Hylla and her guards had cleared out. Hazel and I dashed over to the horse cages and swiped the Amazon cards across the locks. Instantly, the stallion's burst forth, rearing in triumph.

" _Free at last!_ " Zoltan shouted.

"Um…are those things  _tame?_ " Frank asked. Arion whinnied angrily.

"I don't think so," Percy guessed. "He just said, " _I will trample you to death, silly Chinese Canadian baby man._ "

"'Baby man'?" Frank spluttered.

"Speaking to horses is a Poseidon thing," Audrey said. "Uh, I mean a Neptune thing. And Veon's just multilingual apparently."

"You and they should get along fine, Percy," I said. "Arion and Zoltan are sons of Neptune too." Percy paled.

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, we're related to all the pegasi in the world," Audrey said. "Are you really surprised?"

"Point is, they're fast," Zy said. "They can get us out of here."

"That means there'll be three to four of us on one horse," Frank said. "Can we fit that many on one horse? We'll fall off or slow them down, or-" Arion and Zoltan both whinnied.

"Ouch," I muttered. "Frank, Arion says you're a - you know, actually, I'm not going to translate that. Anyway, Zoltan says there's a chariot in the warehouse, and he's willing to pull it."

"There!" Someone yelled from the back of the throne room. A dozen Amazons charged in, followed by males in orange jumpsuits. When they saw Arion and Zoltan were free, they backed up quickly and headed for the battle forklifts. Emily threw her hands out and half of them collapsed while the others paused. Zy vaulted onto Zoltan's back and then offered her hand. I took it and she pulled me on behind her while Hazel hopped onto Arion's back as well.

"I remember seeing that chariot," She said. "Follow me!" We galloped into the larger cavern and scattered a crowd of males. Percy knocked out an Amazon, Frank swept two more off their feet with his spear, Emily began shouting for them to turn around, drop their weapons, or she straight out caused them to collapse from her shut down, while Audrey waved her hands and a good deal of our attackers went flying back as if shoved by an invisible force. Her blood bending, I remembered. I swung my hands around, controlling a couple waves of jewels, not to mention many of the Amazons scattered in terror at the sight of our horses alone. Zy and Hazel swung their swords at anyone who made it close enough, and no Amazon dared challenge us. The others ran behind us, and we finally reached the chariot. Zoltan and Arion had a quick argument before Arion moved to the yoke. Percy and Audrey set to work with the reins and harness.

"You've done this before?" Frank asked. Neither needed to answer as the two children of Neptune worked in sync, their hands flying. In no time, the chariot was ready to go. They hopped aboard while Emily and Frank joined them. A battle cry went up behind us, and we saw a full army of Amazons storming into the warehouse. Otrera herself stood astride a battle forklift, her silver hair flowing as she swung her mounted crossbow toward the chariot.

"Stop them!" She ordered.

"Freeze!" Emily shouted as loud as she could and half the Amazons suddenly froze as though someone pressed pause on the movie. The other half only slowed when they wondered what was going on, and then Audrey waved her arms as though slapping something invisible. Most of the Amazons went flying backwards, some screaming and coming out of their daze. Zoltan reared onto his hind legs and then began glowing with his silver aura. When his front legs slammed down on the floor, the entire cavern shook with a pulse.

"Let's move!" Zy ordered, and the two horses raced across the cavern, weaving around pallets and forklifts. I waved my hands and tried to move anything and anyone I could out of the way with a wave of jewelry and gems. An arrow whizzed past, Arion moving so that it just missed Hazel's head. Something exploded behind us, but we didn't look back.

"The stairs!" Frank yelled. "No way this horse can pull a chariot up that many flights of - OH MY GODS!" Luckily the stairs were wide enough for the chariot, because Arion and Zoltan didn't even slow down. They shot up the steps with the chariot rattling and groaning. The others were holding tightly to the chariot, and the chariot seemed to be staying intact. We finally reached the lobby, the horses crashed through the main doors into the plaza and scattered a bunch of guys in business suits. I felt the tension in Zoltan, and knew Arion was no better. They wanted to run.

"Ella!" Zyanya shouted. "We're leaving!" For a moment, I though the harpy would be too far away to hear. Behind us, a battle forklift clattered up the stairs and roared through the lobby, a mob of Amazons behind it.

"Surrender!" Otrera screamed. The forklift raised its razor-sharp tines.

"Haltz!" Zy shouted. Zoltan reared again and this time lightning bolts exploded from his body at the Amazons, most instantly collapsing with a lot of screaming and the tines of the forklift exploding off, luckily not hurting anybody. Zoltan landed on all fours again when his lightning stopped, and then in a flash of red feathers, Ella landed in the chariot.

"Ella is here. Amazons are pointy. Go now."

"Hold on!" Zy shouted.

"Let's move!" I ordered Zoltan.

"Arion, run!" Hazel ordered. The two horses shot off. The world seemed to elongate, sunlight bending around us. We shot away from the Amazons and sped through downtown Seattle. I glanced back and saw two lines of smoking pavement where Arion and Zoltan's hooves had touched the ground. We thundered towards the docks, leaping over cars, barreling through intersections. Hazel screamed at the top of her lungs in delight, and Zyanya laughed. I gripped her tightly as the horses gained even more speed, and when the horses reached the water they leaped straight off the docks. My ear's popped and there was a roar that had to be a sonic boom. We tore over Puget Sound, seawater turning to steam in our wake as the skyline of Seattle receded behind us.

Frank didn't seem to be having a good time, having thrown up twice from the back of the chariot, which could  _not_  have been fun at the speed of sound. Ella kept muttering the speed, which I'm not sure how she knew: "Seven hundred and fifty miles per hour. Eight hundred. Eight hundred and three. Fast. Very fast." We sped north across Puget Sound, zooming past islands and fishing boats and very surprised pods of whales. When we passed into Canada, the horses rocketed onto dry land, following Highway 99 north, running so fast, the cars seemed to be standing still. Just as we were getting to Vancouver, though, the chariot wheels began to smoke.

"Hazel! We're breaking up!" Frank yelled. She got the message and pulled the reins. Though both horses didn't seem happy about it, we slowed to subsonic as we zipped through the city streets. We crossed the Ironworkers bridge into North Vancouver, and the chariot started to rattle dangerously. At last, Arion and Zoltan stopped at the top of a wooded hill. Arion snorted in satisfaction.

" _That's how we run, fools,_ " He said, except he didn't say "fools." The smoking chariot collapsed, spilling Percy, Frank, Ella, Emily and Audrey onto the wet, mossy ground. Audrey and Emily managed to stay on the feet, even if they did wobble a bit in dizziness. Audrey began to unhitch Arion from the ruined chariot while Frank stumbled to his feet, looking sick and blinking rapidly as he probably had spots in his eyes. Yeah, riding a supersonic horse must've only been fun when you were  _on_  the horse, not behind it on a chariot.

Ella was fluttering around in dizzy circles, bonking into trees and muttering, "Tree. Tree. Tree." Hazel, Zy and I slipped off the horses backs, Hazel grinning with pleasure and unaffected by the trip.

"That was fun!" She said.

"Yeah," Frank said, swallowing back his nausea. "So much fun."

"I wouldn't make it an amusement park ride," I said. "A little intense for the kids." Zoltan whinnied.

" _We're a little hungry here._ "

"They need to eat," Audrey translated. "No wonder. Probably burned about six million calories."

"I'm not sensing any gold around here," I said before petting my horse. "Don't worry. We'll find some."

"In the meantime, why don't you go graze?" Hazel suggested. "We'll meet you-" Arion zipped off, leaving a trail of steam in his wake. Zoltan whinnied in exasperation.

" _Always in such a hurry._ " He suddenly glowed with his silver aura and then disappeared, probably having gone after Arion.

"Do you think they'll come back?" Hazel asked.

"Don't know," Percy said. "They seem kind of…spirited."

"Well, they've claimed new riders," Zy said. "They'll be back if we need them. Let's see what we can salvage from the chariot." We began to search the wreckage. There had been a few boxes of random Amazon merchandise in the front, and Ella shrieked with delight when she found a shipment of books. She snatched up a copy of  _The Birds of North America_ , fluttered to the nearest branch, and began scratching through the pages so fast, I was sure if she was reading or shredding.

I looked around. To the south, across Vancouver Harbor, the downtown skyline gleamed red in the sunset, and I realized we'd lost another whole day. The horses had saved gotten us pretty far, but still. To the north, the hills and rainforests of Lynn Canyon Park snaked between the subdivisions of North Vancouver until they gave way to the wilderness. There was a bend in a river, and a dead pine tree that looked to have been split by lightning in a nearby clearing.

"I'm practically home," Frank said. "My grandmother's house is right over there."

"How far?" Emily asked.

"Just over the river and through the woods."

"Really?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow. "Like, seriously? To Grandmother's house we go?" Frank cleared his throat.

"Yeah, anyway." Hazel clasped her hands in prayer.

"Frank,  _please_  tell me she'll let us spend the night. I know we're on a deadline, but we've got to rest, right? And Arion saved us some time. Maybe we could get an actual cooked meal?"

"And a hot shower?" Percy pleaded. "And a bed with, like, sheets and a pillow?"

"We could spare the night as long as we leave first thing in the morning," Zy said. "If your grandmother's okay with it, of course." Frank seemed to think about it. If his grandmother didn't know about his demigod life, I suppose it would be a little weird to just show up with his heavily armed friends and a harpy. Still, his family did descend from an Argonaut, so what were the odds they were still in the demigod world already?

"It's worth a try," Frank decided. "To Grandmother's house we go." We headed off and Zy actually began humming that song as we went, at least until she suddenly stopped and then motioned for us to get down. Emily and Audrey instantly responded, probably having trained with Zy on things like this before, and I instantly caught on. Percy and Hazel also caught on, Percy having to pull Frank back before he walked straight into an ogres' camp. We crouched behind a fallen log, peering into the clearing.

"Bad," Ella muttered. "This is bad for harpies." It was fully dark now. Around a blazing campfire sat half a dozen shaggy-haired humanoids. Standing up, they probably would've been eight feet tall - tiny compared to the giants, or even the Cyclopes, though they were still formidable. They wore only knee-length surfer shorts, their skin was sunstroke red - covered in tattoos of dragons, hearts, and bikini-clad women, and hanging from a spit over the fire was a skinned animal, maybe a boar, and the ogres were tearing off chunks of meat with their claw-like fingernails, laughing and talking as they are, baring pointy teeth. Next to the ogres sat several mesh bags filled with bronze sphere like cannonballs. The spheres must've been hot, because they steamed in the cool evening air.

Two hundred yards beyond the clearing, the lights of what had to be the Zhang mansion glowed through the trees. So close. I looked left and right to see that there were more campfires in either direction, and it seemed the ogres had surrounded the property. And Frank's grandmother was inside that house? That couldn't be good. I highly doubted the ogres just randomly started stalking this house, they wouldn't wait it out for just one person. Gaea must've sent them. Maybe it was because she wanted to hurt Frank, or maybe it was because Frank's grandmother had something important to tell or give us for the quest.

"What are those guys?" Frank whispered.

"Canadians," Percy said. Frank leaned away from him.

" _Excuse_  me?"

"Uh, no offense. That's what Annabeth called them when I fought them before. She said they live in the north, in Canada."

"Yeah, well, we're  _in_  Canada," Frank grumbled. " _I'm_  Canadian, but I've never seen  _those_  things before."

"Hm…I believe they're called…oh, Laistrygonians," Zy said.

"Cannibals," Ella said, plucking a feather from her wings and turning it in her fingers. "Northern giants. Sasquatch legend. Yep, yep. They're not birds. Not birds of North America."

"That's what they're called," Percy agreed. "Laistry…"

"Laistrygonians," Zy said. "Commonly mistaken for Bigfoot, and a likely source for the legend."

"Ella, you're pretty smart," Frank said.

"Ella is smart," She agreed. She shyly offered Frank her feather.

"Oh…thanks." He stuck the feather in his pocket and then noticed Hazel staring at him. "What?"

"Nothing," She said before turning to Percy. "So your memory is coming back? Do you remember how to beat these guys?"

"Sort of," Percy said. "It's still fuzzy. I think I had help. We killed them with Celestial bronze, but that was before…you know."

"Before Thanatos got kidnapped," I finished. "So now they might not die at all."

"Those bronze cannonballs," Zy said. "Those are trouble. They've been effective against giants before. They catch fire and blow up."

"If we cause any explosions, the ogres at the other camps will come running," Audrey said. "If they've surrounded the house, we could be dealing with fifty or sixty of these guys in the woods."

"So it's a trap," Emily concluded. "What about your grandmother, Frank? We've got to help her."

"We'll have to use a distraction," I said. "If we can draw this group into the woods, we might sneak through without alerting the others."

"I wish Arion were here," Hazel said. "I could get the ogres to chase me."

"Or they might give up on chasing Arion because he's  _too_  fast," Zy said. "Ogres aren't geniuses, but they know when they're outmatched eventually. I wouldn't take such a chance. They're more likely to go after a distraction if it looks like an easy target. I could go and-"

"No," I said. She looked to me.

"Why not?"

"You…no offense, but you're weakening and those things can't be killed."

"I can very much handle myself without the goddess, thank you very much. And it just takes a little spreading of their ashes and they're delayed for hours." Frank slipped his spear off his back.

"I've got another idea."

"Frank, you can't just charge out there!" Hazel said. "That's suicide!"

"I'm not charging. I've got a friend. Just…nobody scream, okay?" He jabbed the spear into the ground, and the point broke off.

"Oops," Ella said. "No spear point. Nope, nope." The ground trembled and Gray's skeletal hand broke the surface. Percy fumbled for his sword and Hazel made a sound like a cat with a hairball. Emily and Audrey backed up a bit, but looked more with interest than with fear (I  _had_  showed them the summoning of skeletons before back when they visited me in the Underworld). Ella disappeared and rematerialized at the top of the nearest tree.

"It's okay," I said. "He's under control." Gray crawled out of the ground, showing no signs of damage from his previous encounter with the basilisks. He was as good as new in his camouflage and combat boots, translucent fray flesh covering his bones like Jell-O. He turned his ghostly eyes toward Frank, waiting for orders.

"Frank, that's a  _spartus_ ," Percy said. "A skeleton warrior. They're evil, they're killers, they're-"

"We know," I said.

"But he's a gift from Mars," Frank agreed. "Right now, that's all I've got. Okay, Gray. Your orders: attack that group of ogres. Lead them off to the west, causing a diversion so we can-" Unfortunately, Gray lost interest after the word "ogres," as he charged toward the ogres' campfire.

"Wait!" Frank called, but it was too late.

"I did say that he was a bit hyperactive and would only take a sentence of orders at most, right?" I asked. Gray pulled two of his ribs from his shirt and ran around the fire, stabbing the ogres in the back with such blinding speed they didn't even have time to yell. Yeah, those things were awesome. Six extremely surprised-looking Laistrygonians fell sideways like a circle of dominoes and crumbled to dust. Gray stomped around, kicking their ashes apart as they tried to re-form. When he seemed satisfied that they weren't coming back, Gray stood at attention, saluted smartly in Frank's direction, and sank into the forest floor. Percy stared at Frank.

"How…?"

"No Laistrygonians," Ella said, fluttering down and landing next to us. "Six minus six is zero. Spears are good for subtraction. Yep."

"Well so do guns," Zy muttered, looking unhappy that I had stopped her from attacking. She may have been able to do that, I guess, and Frank wouldn't have lost his second of three charges that his spear gave him. Hazel looked at Frank as if he'd turned into a zombie skeleton himself. He glared down at the broken tip of his spear.

"Let's go," He said. "My grandmother might be in trouble." We hurried over to the front porch. As predicted, a loose ring of campfire glowed in the woods, completely surrounding the property, but the house itself seemed untouched. Wind chimes jangled in the night breeze and a wicker chair sat empty, facing the road. Light shone through the downstairs windows, but Frank wisely decided against ringing the doorbell. He checked a stone elephant in the corner - a tiny duplicate of that one in Portland, and found a spare key tucked under its foot. He hesitated at the door.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked. Bad memories, I suppose, or maybe fear of seeing his house after so long while monsters were surrounding it. Who knows how his grandmother would act at a bunch of strangers coming into her house too?

"Frank?" Hazel asked.

"Ella is nervous," The harpy muttered from her perch on the railing. "The elephant…the elephant is looking at Ella."

"It'll be fine," Frank said, though his hand was shaking so badly he could barely fit the key in the lock. "Just stay together." Inside, the house smelled closed-up and musty. We examined the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, and we found dirty dishes were stacked in the sink. I wondered if Frank's grandmother had some kind of maid. We  _were_  in a mansion after all, and it was likely that if his grandmother was living alone, she'd have a maid to assist her. Hopefully she hadn't been eaten by the Laistrygonians. Monsters ignored regular mortals. At least, they  _usually_  did. In the parlor, Buddha statues and Taoist immortals grinned at us like psycho clowns. I remembered that Iris had been into Buddhism and Taoism. I couldn't tell if this house would encourage her, or discourage her. Large porcelain cases were strung with cobwebs, and the fireplace was dark and cold. Hazel hugged her chest, as if to keep the piece of firewood from jumping into the hearth.

"Is that…?"

"Yeah, that's it," Frank said. So that was the fireplace where Frank's firewood had started.

"That's what?" Percy asked. Hazel's expression was sympathetic.

"It's a fireplace," Frank said, which sounded stupidly obvious. "Come on. Let's check up stairs." The steps creaked under our feet. Frank's room had an extra bow and quiver, spelling awards, and photos of someone that had to be his mom - in a flak jacket and helmet, sitting on a Humvee in Kandahar Province; in a soccer coach uniform; in a military dress uniform, her hands on Frank's shoulders for some kind of career day.

"Your mother?" Hazel asked gently. "She's beautiful." Frank didn't answer, looking sad. We checked the other bedrooms, the middle three being empty. A dim light flickered under the last door - the one that had to be Frank's grandmother's room. Frank knocked quietly, but no one answered. He pushed opened the door, and found his grandmother lying in bed, looking gaunt and frail, her white hair spread around her face like a basilisk's crown. A single candle burned on the nightstand.

"Mars," Frank said.

"Frank?" Hazel whispered. "What do you mean,  _Mars?_  Is your grandmother…is she okay?" Frank looked to us.

"You don't see him?"

"See who?" Percy asked, gripping his sword. "Mars? Where?" I looked into the room. If I focused, I could definitely sense a god's presence, though it was masked.

"Uh, why don't we give Frank some time with his grandmother?" Zy asked.

"Yeah," Frank said. "Listen, why don't you take the middle bedrooms?"

"Roof," Ella said. "Roofs are good for harpies."

"Sure," Frank said in a daze. "There's probably food in the kitchen. I'd like a few minutes alone with my grandmother. I think she…" His voice broke.

"Of course, Frank," Emily said. "Come on, guys." We walked off to the kitchen and Zy looked around to make us a meal.

"So…what are we gonna do about the monsters outside?" Audrey asked.

"Frank's spear will need to recharge for at least 24 hours," I said. "So I guess we're gonna have to fight it out the old fashion way."

"Most likely the Laistrygonians were waiting for Frank," Zy said. "Now that he's here, they're bound to have smelled him. They'll most likely attack in the morning. Luckily Frank descends from an Argonaut, so they're used to the whole fighting thing. We can ask later, but I'm pretty sure this place has a weapon stash. Frank's a powerful guy, so it's no surprise that Gaea would want him out of the picture. Most likely those guys outside believe that by killing the youngest descendant of their family - I.E., Frank - that they'll inherit his family gift or something."

"Is that true?" I asked.

"I highly doubt it, but you never know. Anyway, the Laistrygonians are hungry to try."

"What is Frank's family gift?" Percy asked. "Mars said that his spear would give him time to learn how to master it, but Frank doesn't even seem to know what it is."

"Periclymenus," Zy said, setting bowls of pasta in front of everyone (though she seemed to have pulled them out of nowhere). "The Argonaut that Frank descends from. I think he was a grandson of Poseidon or something, but he was a Greek prince, so he was definitely a son of a  _Greek_  god. Anyway, he was granted a gift from Poseidon, and there's a ton about him on Wikipedia. And by a ton, I mean a few bullet points about him, who he was, who his parents where, who he fought, who he died to, etc. He died to Hercules by the way; that guy gets around. Anyway, Frank and his family must've gotten that gift, and that combined with the fact that he's a son of Mars must make him a formidable enemy to Gaea. Frank's ancestry goes back all around the world, and his ancestor, one of Periclymenus's descendants, was a part of one of the legions that was wiped out in the past. Something about being invaded by China, and eventually emigrating to North America and then getting involved with Camp Jupiter and such. Either way, Frank's gift has been passed down all these generations. As to what Frank's gift is…well, he can either check Wikipedia, or he can connect the dots from the legend of Periclymenus. I'm not allowed to reveal it since the Fates will get on my tail, but you get the picture. Frank's powerful, that's all you really need to know."

"Do you think he'll figure out his gift by tomorrow morning?" I asked.

"His grandmother might reveal it to him, or give him proper hints," Emily suggested. I didn't want to dampen the mood any further than it was, but I sensed that Frank's grandmother was on the verge of death. There was a strong deathly aura around her, saying that she would most likely die tomorrow at the latest. Maybe it would be of natural causes, maybe it would be when the Laistrygonians attacked. Life is only precious because it ends. A lesson that I'd learned as a son of Hades.

"Well our job is to protect you guys on your quest," Audrey said. "If we work together, I'm sure we can forge a path out of here for you one way or another."

"Agreed," Zy said. "For now, eat. There are three rooms that we have access to, so you're going to have to be willing to share with someone."

"Audrey and I shared a room where we lived before," Emily said, careful not to mention Camp Half-Blood. "We can share one here. And Veon and Zy have shared before, so they're good with sharing now, right?"

"Sure," Zy said. "Sorry if that doesn't give you guys much of a choice."

"I don't mind," Hazel said.

"It's cool," Percy agreed. We ate our dinner and then headed to our rooms. Hazel went to check on Frank when she found him passed out on the floor. She gave him a pillow and blanket, and Zy went to talk to Frank's grandmother.

"She's told me the attic is where they have their weapons stash," She said. "I'm going up there now since I don't need to sleep tonight. You-"

"I wanna come with you."

"Fine, do what you want." She led the way to the attic stairs. The attic was piled high with weapons, with enough ancient armaments to supply an army. Shields, spears, and quivers of arrows hung along one wall. At the back window, a scorpion crossbow was mounted and loaded, ready for action. At the front window stood something that looked like a machine gun with a cluster of barrels. When I looked closer, I saw that the machine gun's eight barrels were loaded with potato spuds, and at the base of the gun, a basket was filled with more edible ammunition. Down in the yard out the window, I could see the ogres milling about.

"Hm, a good supply," Zy commented. "Nothing really of use to me or our team, but Frank might want some of these quivers. And he has his bow back in his room." A bow and arrow. Frank had said he'd wished to be claimed as a son of Apollo since he was so good with the weapon. Zy was a descendant of Apollo…and I'd never seen her use a bow before. She always used her guns, which was modern era of course, and it was cool, but you'd think she'd prefer using a bow at least  _some_  times.

"Hey, Zy?" I asked, as she looked through the weapons.

"Hm?"

"If you're a granddaughter of Apollo…why don't you ever use a bow?" She stiffened and was silent for so long, I was afraid she'd turned into a statue. Then, she turned away from me and pretended to browse the collection even though she just said there wasn't much up here that would be useful to our group.

"No reason to," She said. "I have my guns."

"I know, I just…arrows are more for stealth since they're quieter and…I guess I figured you'd prefer a bow and arrow as your first long range weapon of choice because of your grandfather." She grabbed some small shuriken throwing stars and I was afraid she was going to throw them at me.

"I haven't used a bow and arrow in a while. I'm not sure if I'd even be a good shot anymore. Not every descendant of Apollo gets the archery gift. Sometimes we only get one power here, and someone else gets a power there. Some of the kids back at Camp Half-Blood are trick-shots while others prefer healing and can't hold a bow straight for the life of them. It all depends."

"But your mom and that whole power boost thing…there has to be something in you that can shoot properly, and your mom's gifts allow all the abilities of your grandparents to show, so the lightning and the wind from Zeus, the music, healing and archery from Apollo."

"Perhaps." She grabbed a larger shuriken with four blades, about a foot in length each. "Back in my survival days, I did use one, though that was back when I had limited arrows, so carrying around a bow and quiver wasn't really worth it when you needed to be mobile and flexible. It was just dead weight. Still, I can throw with deadly accuracy. My…my little brother broke my bow once. Nearly killed himself when the string snapped and hit him…well, yeah. If it weren't for my healing, he probably would've died, or at least have been scarred really badly. He…he got me a replacement one for my birthday, but after he died I…well, I haven't used a bow since." That explained it.

"I…see. Sorry."

"It's not a problem. Though I do miss using one. I can summon one and an infinite quiver whenever I want thanks to the goddess, but…I guess I've never gotten the courage. Guns are faster, smaller, and require less effort to use, but you have a point, a bow is quieter, and it's a little more fun depending on the situation."

"Look, about back at Iris's store…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push you, and I should've know that the subject was…shaky."

"It's fine. Just don't do it again."

"I really do think you should talk more about your brother, though. I…honestly, I'm just a little curious about him." She looked out the window.

"I'll think about it. Maybe." She put the large shuriken back. "Anyway, you need some sleep. And no offense, but you also need a shower." I instantly felt self-conscious, but she smiled. "Don't make that face. I'm kidding. But seriously, take the opportunity to clean up while you can and change." She walked down the stairs and I followed back to our room. I did as she said, taking a shower and changing into some pajamas that I had in my bag, and then I collapsed on the bed, realizing how tired I was. Nightmares seemed to take away hours that I could be sleeping, and Hazel's blackout took away my sleep on the boat (I don't blame her for that; it wasn't her fault) and so I hadn't had a lot of sleep since I came back from the Underworld. I allowed myself to be taken to my dreams, praying tonight that there were no more nightmares to come.


	25. Escape to Alaska

First Person: Lucy

He was screaming this time. I silenced him as soon as possible, but that still didn't take away the unease knowing he was in pain. I think he was in Tartarus this time. I think he was begging for something, but he didn't say what. He thrashed around and I sedated him, trying to convince myself that it was just a dream, and he'd definitely wake up the next morning completely fine. But I had no guarantee of that. This was only the beginning, and he was proven to have a strong soul, but would it be enough?

"Help me…" I had kept him from punching, kicking, and screaming, but it seemed the sedation wasn't enough to prevent the little things, like him gripping the sheets and rolling around muttering things. "Go…run…" He rolled over onto his back and I could see him sweating. He was breathing hard and was gritting his teeth. I wiped a cool cloth over his forehead, but that was the most I could do for him. It seemed he was going from a dream of pure pain to one more vivid, where some kind of scene was playing out. I'd guess it was something that would shake his heart to the core, maybe us being killed by monsters while he's helpless to help, or maybe even him killing us himself while he's unable to stop. The psychology wasn't hard to figure out in my opinion. If there was something worse, I had yet to think of it, and it must be brutal on him.

The next morning, I changed into my normal outfit and set out Veon's - though they were now freshly washed. Hazel was in the kitchen making a breakfast for Frank. I liberated some orange juice before heading back up and summoning some cereal for Veon. I always wondered if summoning food has some sort of effect, negative or positive, but apparently even the goddess didn't know, or she didn't really care to test it. So far nothing had done anything it shouldn't have (at least to my knowledge) so I just went along with it. By the time the sun was up, I knew the ogres were going to start their attack. I went to the roof just as the sun began to rise, running into Ella in the attic.

"Alaska. 626,425 square miles. State mammal: the moose." Suddenly she switched to Latin. " _To the north, beyond the gods, lies the legion's crown. Falling from ice, the son of Neptune shall drown-_ " She stopped and scratched her disheveled hair. "Hmm. Burned. The rest is burned."

"So you  _have_  read the Sibylline books," I muttered. "Ella, I'll be on the roof. Send the others up there when they come." I headed up the ladder to the roof to find day was nearly breaking. The ogres were mulling about restlessly until they began to throw their cannonballs. I pointed my finger at it in midair and then a small bolt of lightning shot out to cause it to detonate. It was a powerful explosion, but luckily it seemed it had been far enough away that it didn't do any damage. This process continued for a while as I shot down the explosives. The Laistrygonians kept yelling for Frank angrily, so I assumed I was right in my guess at what they'd been promised. The biggest problem was getting out of here.

"Hey, what's going on up here?" Audrey asked. She, Emily and Veon came up to the roof, cleaned up and dressed in new outfits not much different from their other ones, jeans, their purple T-shirts from Camp Jupiter (accept for Veon who stayed with his black shirt), and their jackets. Veon looked like he'd just stayed up all night watching movies but was trying to stay awake on caffeine. Poor guy. I'm not really sure if the nightmares count as sleep, but either way they seemed to be taking a toll on him. This was his first real and unimpeded nightmare and he already looked terrible.

"Hey, there's a hose here!" Audrey said.

"Periclymenus was a descendant of Neptune," I said. "Might make sense to have a source of water up here."

"Are they just throwing the cannonballs?" Veon asked.

"So far. Doesn't seem they find storming the place appealing."

"Where is Frank Zhang?!" An ogre demanded.

"He'll be up soon!" Emily shouted. "Why don't you all just sit tight, okay?" The ogres bellowed, maybe in excitement that Frank would be coming, maybe in the prospect of a break. Either way, they continued milling about, sometimes throwing the occasional cannonball that I had to blast out of the sky. Percy and Hazel came up next, ready for a fight. They had been cleaned up, probably having showered. Percy was in the same clothes as they day before - jeans, his purple T-shirt, and Polartec jacket - though they had been freshly washed, and Hazel was in jeans, a cream-colored jacket, and a white shirt that made her skin look as warm as cocoa.

"What's going on up here?" Percy asked.

"Have a hose," Audrey said, putting said hose in his free hand, with Riptide having been drawn in the other. "I've checked. It's working and hooked up to the house's water supply."

"Good," I said. "You two take over cannonball duty. Just blast 'em with the water and they should explode a safe distance away. It doesn't look like they're planning on doing anything more until Frank gets his arse up here, so we're good for now."

"How are we planning to get out of here?" Emily asked.

"Uh, run for it? That's usually my plan. I can distract the ogres for a good deal of time for you guys to get clear of the mansion. The only issue lies in your transportation to Hubbard Glacier. I think there's an airbase somewhere nearby, and we could liberate a helicopter. Actually, I think there's a former demigod there that might aid us if we show Reyna's credentials to him."

"Good enough for me," Audrey said. When Frank came up, he was wearing an olive-green shirt with beige cargo pants (I think Hazel had chosen the outfit) and had his spare bow and quiver with him.

"Morning," Percy said grimly. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Cheer up, Percy," Emily ordered.

"Cannonball!" Audrey announced as she threw her hand out. It transformed into a stream of water from her wrist that sprayed at the cannonball and caused it to explode. Then the water came back together to form her hand again. Hazel came over from patrolling the widow's walk between the two attic gables. Frank was smiling at her, and she gripped her sword. When she glanced at Frank, her eyes flashed with concern.

"Are you okay?" She asked. "Why are you smiling?"

"Oh, uh, nothing," He said. "Thanks for breakfast. And the clothes. And…not hating me." Hazel looked baffled.

"Why would I hate you?" Frank flinched like he'd regretted saying that.

"It's just…last night. When I summoned the skeleton. I though…I thought that you thought…I was repulsive…or something." Hazel raised her eyebrows before shaking her head in dismay.

"Frank, maybe I was surprised, maybe I was scared of that thing, but repulsed? The way you commanded it, so confident and everything, like -  _Oh, by the way guys, I have this all-powerful spartus we can use_. I couldn't believe it. I wasn't repulsed, Frank. I was impressed." Frank looked baffled now.

"You were…impressed…by  _me?_ " Percy laughed.

"Dude, it  _was_  pretty amazing."

"Even if you only got one line of orders to him," Veon added.

"Yeah, you were great, Frank," Emily agreed.

"Having a tame spartus is an honor indeed," I said.

"Cannonball!" Audrey said.

"Honest?" Frank asked.

"Honest," Hazel promised. "But right now, we have other problems to worry about. Okay?" She gestured at the army of ogres, who were getting increasingly bold, shuffling closer and closer to the house.

"Hey! You guys should just stay down there for a little longer!" Emily shouted. "No! A  _little_  further back! There you go! You guys like just standing down there, don't you?"

"I've got a trick up my sleeve," Percy said. "Your lawn has a sprinkler system. We can blow it up and cause some confusion, but that'll destroy your water pressure. No pressure, no hose. We've still got Audrey and Zy, but we can't just stay up here forever. We gonna just run for it?" Frank seemed to be lost in thought from Hazel's praise, when he finally began concentrating.

"Guys, I've got an escape plan," He said, explaining that his grandmother had a friend with an airplane already waiting at the airfield, and she had given him a note for the pilot as well. "He's a legion veteran. He'll help us."

"But Arion and Zoltan aren't back," Hazel said. "And what about your grandmother? We can't just leave her."

"Arion and Zoltan can find us anywhere we go," I said. "We  _are_  talking about horses that move at supersonic speed, right?"

"As for my grandmother…" Frank said. "She was pretty clear. She said she'd be okay." Veon's expression darkened, and Emily looked at him, so I could tell that he sensed Frank's grandmother was going to die today.

"There's another problem," Percy said. "I'm not good with air travel. It's dangerous for a son of Neptune."

"Really?" Audrey asked. "I mean, air travel is dangerous anyway, but I've done it before."

"You'll have to risk it…and so will I," Frank said. "By the way, we're related."

"What?"

"Periclymenus," I said. "The Argonaut? I told you he was a grandson of Poseidon, correct? He's an ancestor on Frank's mother's side. I thought we'd established this before."

"So you'd be a descendant of Neptune?" Hazel realized. "Frank, that's…"

"Crazy?" He finished. "Yeah. And there's this ability my family supposedly has, but I don't know how to use it. If I can't figure it out-" Another massive cheer went up from the Laistrygonians. I looked to see them pointing and waving and laughing at Frank.

"Zhang!" They yelled. "Zhang!" Hazel stepped closer to him.

"They keep doing that."

"We've got to protect Ella, take her with us," Frank said.

"Of course. The poor thing needs our help."

"No, I mean yes, but it's not just that. She recited a prophecy downstairs. I think…I think it was about  _this_ quest." He repeated the lines from Ella.

"How can a son of Neptune drown?" Audrey asked. "We can breathe underwater, right?"

"Yeah," Percy said, though he seemed tense. "But the crown of the legion-"

"That's got to be the eagle," Hazel said. He nodded.

"And Ella recited something like this once before in Portland - a long from the old Great Prophecy."

"The what?" Frank asked.

"Tell you later." He turned and shot another cannonball out of the sky. It exploded in an orange fireball. For some reason the ogres seemed amused, clapping their hands with appreciation.

"Pretty! Pretty!"

"The thing is, Ella remembers everything she reads," Frank continued. "She said something about the page being burned, like she'd read a damaged text of prophecies."

"Burned books of prophecy?" Hazel asked, her eyes widening. "You don't think…but that's impossible!

"The books that Octavian wanted back at camp?" Emily asked. Hazel whistled under her breath.

"The lost Sibylline books that outlined the entire destiny of Rome. If Ella actually read a copy somehow and memorized it-"

"Then she's the most valuable harpy in the world," Frank concluded. "No wonder Phineas wanted to capture her."

"Frank Zhang!" And Ogre shouted from below. He was bigger than the rest, wearing a lion's cape like a Roman standard bearer and a plastic bib with a lobster on it. "Come down, son of Mars! We've been waiting for you. Cone, be our honored guest!" Hazel gripped Frank's arm.

"Why do I get the feeling that "honored guest" means the same thing as "dinner"?"

"Probably because it does," I said bluntly. "Hm…Hey, do you guys have a car here?"

"Yeah," Frank said. "My grandmother's car is in the garage. It's an old Cadillac. The thing is like a tank. If you can get it started-"

"We'll still have to break through a lone of ogres," Hazel pointed out.

"I can handle that," I said.

"We can use the sprinkler system," Audrey said. "It can help as a distraction."

"I'll buy you as much time as I can," Frank said. "Get Ella, get in the car. I'll try to meet you in the garage."

"I'm the distraction," I said. "I'm a better option to stay behind. Plus, I'm less…breakable than you."

"But they're after me. I disappear and they'll come flooding in."

"Then we talk it out and buy time," Emily said. "I'm a peace talker. I'll stay here with you, Frank, and then Zy can be our defense of things go wrong. No arguing, just go."

"Give us your answer, Frank Zhang!" The ogre yelled up. "Come down and we will spare the others - your friends, your poor old granny. We only want you!"

"They're lying," Percy muttered.

"Yeah, I got that," Frank agreed. "Go!" They ran for the ladder.

"Hey down there!" I called. "Who's hungry?!" The ogres cheered as Frank paced along the widow's walk and waved like a rock star. Frank looked like he was trying to concentrate and transform into something. What were the odds he was going for something eccentric like a dragon? He'd have to know an animal really well in order to transform into it, and I highly doubted that he'd met a dragon in real life before. The ogres started to become restless, the cheering turning to catcalls. A few Laistrygonians hefted their cannonballs.

"Wait! You don't want to char him!" Emily shouted. "He wouldn't taste very good that way."

"Come down!" They yelled. "Hungry!"

"Do you promise to spare my friends?" Frank asked. "Do you swear on the River Styx?" The ogres laughed, one throwing a cannonball that I blasted out of the sky. "I'll take that as a no."

"No throwing cannonballs!" Emily shouted. "Put them down! Yes, I see you right there! Drop it.  _Drop it_." The ogres dropped their cannonballs, one of them a little more reluctantly than the others.

"Okay, fine!" Frank shouted. "You win! I'll be right down. Wait there!" The ogres cheered, but their leader in the lion's-skin cape scowled suspiciously. We all climbed down the ladder into the attic. Ella was gone, so they'd most likely gotten her to the Cadillac. Frank grabbed an extra quiver of arrows labeled  **ASSORTED VARIETIES**  and then ran to the machine gun. I grabbed the large shuriken that I'd found yesterday and pocketed a few of the smaller ones as well. Might as well have them just in case, and why let Frank's weapons go to waste?

"What are you doing, Frank?" Emily asked. He swiveled the barrel, took aim at the lead ogre, and pressed the trigger. Eight high-powered spuds blasted the giant in the chest, propelling him backward with such force that he crashed into a stack of bronze cannonballs, which promptly exploded, leaving a smoking crater in the yard.

"Well, okay then," I muttered. While the rest of the monsters ran around in confusion, Frank pulled his bow and rained arrows on them. Some of the missiles detonated on impact, others splintered like buckshot and left the giants with some painful new tattoos. One hit and ogre and instantly turned him into a potted rose bush. How I missed using a bow and arrow. The feeling of power you got from drawing the bowstring back and practically  _feeling_  your arrow fly through the air to your target felt so good. I'd never missed using the weapon so much, and with Zyanya's power I could do so much more with my arrows and never run out. But I'd promised on the Styx that I'd not use a bow and arrow until I made up for my brother's death.

Unfortunately, the ogres recovered quickly and began throwing cannonballs, dozens at a time. I sent out a blast of lightning that jumped from one to the next in a web of destruction, but the ogres put in their entire arsenal and the cannonballs began detonating too close to the house. I knew that I could do anymore to hold them back and gave up. The whole house groaned under the impacts, and we ran for the stairs. The attic disintegrated behind us, smoke and fire pouring down the second-floor hallway.

"Grandmother!" Frank shouted, but the heat was so intense he'd never reach her room.

"Frank, come on, we need to go!" Emily urged. He reluctantly came with us, and we raced to the ground floor, clinging to the banister as the house shook and huge chunks of the ceiling collapsed. The base of the staircase was a smoking crater, which we promptly leaped over and stumbled through the kitchen. I pulled out cloths and gave one to Emily and Frank, telling them to put them over their mouths and noses for the smoke. We burst into the garage to find the Cadillac's headlights on, the engine running and the garage door opening.

"Get in!" Veon shouted from the backseat. I shoved Frank and Emily into the backseat with him, Audrey and Hazel, Percy at the wheel and Ella in the front seat. It was crowded enough, so I slammed the door shut behind the two of them and slid under the garage door.

I summoned my long, sleek, white sword, Immortal Light, in my left hand and grabbed a gun from the back of my belt with my right hand, considering I was a better shot with my right hand and ambidextrous when it came to using my sword. I charged at the line of ogres, slashing away with my sword and turning many of them to dust, before jumping up to fire at some while flipping in the air and then landing to spin in a blitz, my sword out and my gun firing ahead. I raised my sword into the air and then summoned a lightning bolt that spread out in a web of destruction against the monsters, shaking the ground in the process.

I saw the Cadillac come shooting out of the garage before it was fully open, leaving a Cadillac-shaped hole of splintered wood. Suddenly the irrigation system exploded as promised, and a hundred geysers shot into the air along with clods of dirt, pieces of pipe, and very heavy sprinkler heads. They were going about forty when they hit the first ogre unlucky enough to be in their path. By the time the other monsters overcame their confusion, the Cadillac was half a mile down the road. Some of the ogres managed to throw some of their flaming cannonballs at them, but I began to attack as many as I could as fast as I could, taking their attention.

The ogres all began to turn their sights on me, for better or worse, and I began to strike and anyone who I could get close to. The ogres might still be able to catch up to the others if they started running after them now, so I knew I needed to be a big enough target that not a single one could go after them. They were strong and their cannonballs still hurt, though, and I only had two arms. I slipped my gun back into the back of my belt and switched my sword to my right hand so my left could draw a shield. The cannonballs still pushed me back a good deal, and with the Laistrygonians on all sides I had to be quick not to get grabbed and crushed.

I was low on power from the goddess, but I still had her battle skill and knowledge. I could still put my own power into things, so coming up with a plan, I sheathed my shield and turned my sword to light before it disappeared. Not wanting to ruin my jacket. I removed it and had it disappear as well (because no way was I leaving it behind). I concentrated and then felt my power within me building, ready to do as I commanded. I willed my idea to become a reality, and though it wasn't something I was used to and my power was built for, the goddess allowed me the potential for anything as long as I had a strong enough will. And she'd chosen me for my willpower. I felt a burning on my back, but not a burn that said I was doing something wrong or I was burning up. It was one that felt empowering, one that told me I was doing the right thing, and I pushed it further. I felt as a large wing emerged from my back and jutted out to the right. It was only one wing, but it was at least twice my height in length and it was plenty strong enough to support my weight. The feathers started purple on the top, but then they faded to red, orange, and then yellow at the very tip. I didn't have the strength for a second wing, not without pushing myself too far, but this was plenty enough.

I tested my movement of the wing, and it followed my command like any other limb would. As the ogres stared in confusion, I swung the wing in front of me like I was trying to slap something, and a large number of feathers shot out at deadly speeds, attacking all of the ogres in front of me and striking with the deadliness of a million knives. I launched forward, using my power over the wind to control the currents under my wing and allowing flight. I dived and swung my large wing like I would my arm, sweeping the large monsters off their feet. Some cannonballs were thrown my way, but I held my wing in front of me like a shield and it blocked them easily. I swung at the monsters with a much wider range than I had before, jumping up to crush some of them to dust with my strong wing and blowing the ashes around as much as I could while also swinging to block and attack the rest of them.

"Zyanya!" I heard Veon yell from a good distance away. Time to go then. I flew up and then went in the direction of the airfield, which was easy to see from so high up. The others were out of the Cadillac that was parked just inside the gates. I landed next to them to find that, unsurprisingly, Ella wasn't willing to get in the plane.

"Okay," Percy was saying. "Just stay around this area. I can send a friend to meet you and take you to Camp Jupiter."

"A friend?" Frank asked. Percy waved his hand in a  _tell you later_  gesture.

"Ella, would you like that? Would you like my friend to take you to Camp Jupiter and show you our home?"

"Camp," Ella murmured before switching to Latin. "' _Wisdom's daughter walks alone, the Mark of Athena burns through Rome._ '"

"Yes, yes, I know Ella," I said. "We can talk about that later. You'll be safe at camp. All the books and food you want."

"No planes," She insisted.

"No planes," I promised.

"Ella will hide now." Just like that, she was gone - a red streak disappearing into the woods.

"I'll miss her," Hazel said sadly.

"You'll see her again. Just show those letters to the pilot and get moving." An explosion sent the airfield's gate spinning into the air. "Get going! I'll meet you in there!" I turned and flew towards the coming ogres and swept my wing around to knock the front lines back. I blocked some of the exploding cannonballs when they were thrown to the plane. I swung my wing while in the air and let the feathers dig into the ground within the ranks before they exploded like numerous mines, leaving craters in the ogres' ranks. The survivors were still advancing, some of them stopping just to throw their bombs. I spun and swung my wing in a fluent dance, attacking and slashing at all the ogres I could before jumping up and blocking the thrown projectiles. I heard the plane's engines rev before I slammed down onto the ground with an electric pulse that knocked most of the ogres off their feet.

"Zy! Come on!" Veon called. I turned and flew towards the plane at top speed. Behind me, metal groaned as the Cadillac exploded. I shot into the plane just as the stairs stared to rise, accidentally tackling Veon who had was standing at the doorway with his arm extended for me. The pilot understood the situation, as there was no safety announcement, no pre-flight drink, and no waiting for clearance. He pushed the throttle, and the plane shot down the runway. Another blast ripped through the runway behind us, but we were already in the air. I sat up and looked down to see the airstrip riddled with craters like a piece of burning Swiss cheese. Swaths of Lynn Canyon Park were on fire. A few miles to the south, a swirling pyre of flames and black smoke was all that remained of the Zhang family mansion. Frank looked devastated at having not been able to save his grandmother, having not been able to use his powers.

"Frank…?" Emily asked. I quickly realized I didn't have my jacket or my cuffs on, so I wrapped my wing around my torso to cover both my upper arms. It was a bit charred and some of my feathers were out of alignment, but otherwise it was fine. When Vancouver disappeared in the clouds below, Frank buried his head in his hands and started to cry. The plane banked to the left.

" _Senatus Populusque Romanus_ , my friends," The pilot said over the intercom. "Welcome aboard. Next stop: Anchorage, Alaska."

"You okay?" Veon asked as we began to settle into the plane. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"Fine," I said.

"Why are you going all Sephiroth on me with one wing?"

"Well one wing was hard enough, and I didn't have the energy or necessity for two. It takes energy to sheath the thing as well, and that's gonna drain me more than just using the thing will. Plus, it's warm."

Percy seemed to be very tense on the flight. Every time the plane hit a spot of turbulence, Percy seemed to jump and grip the armrests of his seat ever tighter. Audrey was sitting next to him, telling him not to focus on it and imagine we were on a ship, though Percy kept denying that it was impossible to convince himself of that since he couldn't sense the water. Audrey was a special demigod, all the people that I'd chosen for my team were. It wasn't luck that we'd ended up in the same high school and ended up becoming friends. Even as a child of Poseidon, she wasn't as affected by being in the air. Veon said that he was fine with being in a plane as long as he didn't stare out the window too long or the plane wasn't big enough. As long as the vessel he was in was big enough that it could feel stable, be it boat or plane, he could suppress his urge to hurl. I had to admit that a small boat like the Pax had felt a bit unstable, and I had tried to stay as still as possible because of it.

Hazel and Emily were trying to consol Frank, assuring him that he'd done all he could for his grandmother. He'd stood up to the Laistrygonians and had been very brave. Frank kept his head down like he was ashamed to have been crying, but none of us could blame him. The poor guy had just lost his grandmother and seen his house go down in flames. Frank refused to explain his shape-shifting gift, but as we flew north, he did tell us about his conversation with Mars last night, as he had been invisible to the others. (He'd very rudely told us to "take a hike," as I could still see and hear him, sadly). Mars had told him how he was one of the seven of the Great Prophecy and how Juno saved him for a reason. Frank's gifts made him a great threat to Gaea, Juno aimed to unite the Greeks and Romans, we could still save Thanatos and Camp Jupiter, etc, so not much I didn't know already. He explained the prophecy Juno had issued when he was a baby - about his life being tied to a piece of firewood and how he had asked Hazel to keep it for him, not something too surprising.

"Frank, I'm proud to be related to you," Percy said. Frank's ears turned red. With his head lowered, his military haircut made a sharp black arrow pointing down.

"Juno has some sort of plan for us, about the Prophecy of Seven."

"Yeah. I didn't like her as Hera, I don't like her any better as Juno."

"You get used to her," I said. "In any case, she plans for the three of you to be a part of the seven, and I can confirm you are. My team is allowed to assist the seven of the prophecy and therefore you three."

"So, you  _are_  a Greek demigod, aren't you Percy?" Hazel asked. Percy gripped his leather necklace.

"I started to remember in Portland, after the gorgon's blood. It's been coming back to me slowly since then. There's another camp - Camp Half-Blood."

"Yeah, and there's something else," Emily said. She and Audrey looked at each other before digging through their bags to pull out their Camp Half-Blood necklaces. Veon dug around his bag for a moment longer and took out his.

"You…you've been there before?" Percy asked.

"We came from Camp Half-Blood," Audrey said. "We're Greek, whether we like it or not."

"You're meant to be both," I said. "I brought you to both camps not just to retrieve and watch over the seven of the prophecy, but to have you be a part of both cultures. I've been to both camps on numerous occasions, not just within this host, as it were. I've lied to keep the peace between the camps all this time, and I've informed Reyna on my opinion of the divide. Hopefully, she'll be able to make a point when it comes to the Greeks and Romans. I mean, the Greeks and the Romans don't know about each other, and the Greeks wouldn't plot against you. We gods have bent the Mist as far as we can to make sure you never remember any encounters. I still find it idiotic that you Greeks and Romans still have quarrels. Granted, if you've ever spent time with the gods, you'll see that they can tend to act like they  _weren't_  just threatening to kill each other two minutes ago. Maybe I've become too forgiving in that aspect."

"Another camp," Hazel repeated. "A  _Greek_  camp? Gods, if Octavian found out-"

"He'd declare war," Frank agreed. "He's always been sure the Greeks were out there, plotting against us. He thought Percy was a spy."

"That's why Juno sent me," Percy said. "Uh, I mean, not to spy. I think it was some kind of exchange. Your friend Jason - I think he was sent to  _my_  camp. In my dreams, I saw a demigod that might have been him. He was working with some other demigods on this flying warship."

"Yes, that's Jason and some of others of the seven," I said. "They're hoping to come and aid Camp Jupiter, but I fear they won't make it in time. The making of that warship was rushed at best, and it will take them a couple days to make it across the country." Frank tapped nervously on the back of his seat.

"Mars said Juno wants to unite the Greeks and Romans to fight Gaea. But jeez - Greeks and Romans have a long history of bad blood."

"That's why the gods have kept you apart this long," I said. "If a Greek warship appears in the sky above Camp Jupiter and we don't act in time, Camp Jupiter will fire upon them immediately. I worked very hard on making that ship, and I'd hate to see it go to waste that quickly."

"Sorry we had to lie to you guys," Emily said.

"We know why you did it," Hazel said. "To think of what bad things could've happened if we'd known you were Greek from the beginning. You've proved none of you have anything against Camp Jupiter and the Romans."

"We've also heard stories about Percy, since he's kind a famous back at Camp Half-Blood," Audrey said. "You've got tons of people worried about you, Percy."

"I trust you guys," Percy said. "I hope you trust me. I feel…well, I feel as close to you as any of my old friends at Camp Half-Blood. But with the other demigods, at both camps - there's going to be a lot of suspicion."

"A great problem, and I wish we had more time to properly introduce the two camps with the gods in the middle making sure you don't fight," I said. Hazel leaned over and gave Percy a sisterly kiss on the cheek, smiling affectionately.

"Of course we trust you," She said. "We're family now. Aren't we, Frank?"

"Sure," He said. "Do I get a kiss?" Hazel laughed, but there was a nervous tension in it.

"Anyway, what do we do now?"

"I've got to make contact with a friend," Percy said. "To keep my promise to Ella."

"How?" Frank asked. "One of those Iris-messages?"

"Still not working," Percy said sadly. "I tried last night at your grandmother's house. No luck. Maybe it's because my memories are still jumbled, or the gods aren't allowing a connection. I'm hoping I can contact my friend in my dreams." Another bump of turbulence made him grab his seat. Below us, snowcapped mountains broke through a blanket of clouds. "I'm not sure I can sleep, but I need to try. We can't leave Ella by herself with those ogres around."

"I can knock you out," I said. I snapped and his eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed. "Oops, probably should've put him on the couch first."


	26. To Hubbard Glacier

First Person: Lucy

A couple hours later, Percy woke when the plane began to descend. Out the window was a glittering inlet of the sea snaking between snowy mountains. In the distance, a city was carved out of the wilderness, surrounded by lush green forests on one side and icy black beaches on the other.

"Welcome to Alaska," Hazel said. "We're beyond the help of the gods."

"Hey Zy, are your goddess powers cut off here?" Veon asked.

"No. Like I said, I'm not technically a god, that's just the name I have because I have yet to come up with a proper name. I was thinking of a "Primordial." In any case, I am a god, but I'm also not, therefore my power aren't weakened or cut off just because of my location in Alaska. It's kind of the same reason you demigods don't lose your power here even if the gods would."

"Because we're not  _fully_  god, we can still use the powers we got from the god side of us."

"Yes." When we exited the plane, I adjusted my wing so that it looked like I was just wearing one of those winter cape thingies (I really don't know what to call them). It served a double purpose because I was combat ready, but also warm. The pilot said he couldn't wait for us, but Percy seemed happy about that. We might be able to take Arion and Zoltan should the need for quick transportation to Camp Jupiter arise, which it most likely will considering they were getting attacked tomorrow. As we took a taxi down into downtown Anchorage, Percy explained he'd managed to dream of his half-brother Tyson the Cyclops, but also how the giant's army was closing in on the camp.

"You have a half-brother who's a Cyclops?" Frank asked.

"Sure," Percy said. "Which makes him your great-great-great-"

"Please." Frank covered his ears. "Enough."

"As long as he can get Ella to camp," Hazel said. "I'm worried about her."

"I trust Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary," Emily said. "They're strong, and Mrs. O'Leary can shadow travel." The taxi turned on Highway One, which looked more like a small street, and took us north towards downtown. It was late afternoon, but the sun was still high in the sky. Alaska  _was_  further north, where you could have days with sun or days without.

"I can't believe how much this place has grown," Hazel muttered. The taxi driver grinned in the rearview mirror.

"Been a long time since you visited, miss?"

"About seventy years." The driver slid the glass partition closed and drove on in silence. According to Hazel, almost none of the buildings were the same, but she pointed out features of the landscape: the vast forests ringing the city, the cold, gray waters of Cook Inlet tracing the north edge of town, and the Chugach Mountains rising grayish-blue in the distance, capped with snow even in June.

The air smelled very clear here. The two itself had a weather-beaten look to it, with closed stores, rusted-out cars, and worn apartment complexes lining the road, but it was still beautiful. Lakes and huge stretches of woods cut through the middle, and the arctic sky was an amazing combination of turquoise and gold. It looked like a nice place to visit, but not someplace I'd want to live. Then there were the giants. Dozens of bright-blue men, each thirty feet tall with gray frosty hair, were wading through the forests, fishing in the bay, and striding across the mountains. The mortals didn't seem to notice them. The taxi passed within a few yards of one who was sitting at the edge of a lake washing his feet, but the driver didn't panic.

"Hyperboreans," I said when I saw the look on Frank's face. "Northern giants."

"I fought some when Kronos invaded Manhattan," Percy said.

"Wait, when  _who_  did  _what?_ " Frank asked.

"Long story. But these guys look…I don't know,  _peaceful_."

"They usually are," Hazel agreed. "I remember them. They're everywhere in Alaska, like bears."

"Bears?" Frank asked nervously.

"The giants are invisible to mortals. They never bothered me, though one almost stepped on me by accident once."

"They're pretty good at staying out of mortal's lives and ways," I said. "These guys are more domestic than the ones back at Manhattan. They live here in peace, and they like it that way. Though, admittedly, when you  _can_  see them, you can find they acting kinda…strangely."

"Strangely how?" Veon asked. I nodded forward. One of the giants stood right at the intersection of Northern Lights Road, straddling the highway, and we drove between his legs. The Hyperborean was cradling a Native American totem pole wrapped in furs, humming to it like a baby. "Point taken." The taxi drove through downtown, past a bunch of tourists' shops advertising furs, Native American art, and gold. As the driver turned and headed toward the seashore, Hazel knocked on the glass partition.

"Here is good. Can you let us out?" I paid the driver and we stepped onto Fourth Street. Compared to Vancouver, downtown Anchorage was tiny - more like a college campus than a city, but Hazel looked amazed. "It's  _huge_. That…that's where the Gitchell Hotel used to be. My mom and I stayed there our first week in Alaska. And they've moved City Hall. It used to be there." She led us in a daze for a few blocks. We didn't really have a plan beyond finding the fastest way to Hubbard Glacier, but when Percy smelled something cooking nearby - sausage, maybe? - he instantly seemed determined.

"Food," He said. "Come on." We found a café right by the beach. It was bustling with people, but we managed a table at the window and the boys got looking at the menus. Frank whooped with delight.

"24 hour breakfast!"

"It's like, dinnertime," Percy said, though you couldn't have been able to tell by just looking outside. The sun was so high, it could've been noon.

"I love breakfast," Frank said. "I'd eat breakfast, breakfast, and breakfast if I could. Though, um, I'm sure the food here isn't as good as Hazel's." Hazel elbowed him, but her smile was playful.

"Well I'd eat lunch, lunch, and dinner," Veon said. "I'm the kinda guy who skips breakfast every day in favor of sleeping a little longer."

"Then you should have some breakfast for a change," I said.

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, Ve," Emily said.

"No," He insisted. "It's just the  _first_  meal of the day, meaning lunch is basically breakfast for me."

"I don't care what we get as long as it's edible," Audrey said.

"Breakfast it is then," Percy said. Everyone ordered plates of eggs, pancakes, and reindeer sausage, though Frank looked a little worried about the reindeer.

"You think it's okay that we're eating Rudolph?"

"Dude, I could eat Prancer and Blitzen too," Percy said. "I'm  _hungry._ "

"Don't say we're eating Santa's reindeer!" Emily protested. Everyone began eating, and the food was great. Frank was a fast eater, and the red-nosed reindeer did not stand a chance. Considering I didn't need to eat as much as everyone else, I pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil and began drawing a rough map, placing an X at our location.

"We're here," I said, tapping the X. "Anchorage."

"It looks like a seagull's face and we're the eye," Percy said.

"It's a  _map_. Anchorage is at the top of this sliver of ocean, Cook Inlet. There's a big peninsula of land below us, and Seward is at the bottom of the peninsula here." I drew another X at the base of the seagull's throat. "This is where Hazel used to live. That's the closest town to the Hubbard Glacier. Going by sea is an option, but it'd take forever, and we don't have that kind of time." Frank polished off the last of his Rudolph.

"But land is dangerous," He said. "Land means  _Gaea_." I nodded.

"There's not much choice, though. We could have asked our pilot to fly us down, but I'm not sure if his plan would fit in little Seaward's airport. And if we chartered another plane-"

"No more planes," Percy insisted. "Please."

"It's okay. There's a train that goes from here to Seward. We might be able to catch one tonight. It only takes a couple of hours." I drew a dotted line between the two X's.

"You just cut off the seagull's head," Audrey noted.

"It's the train line. Look, from Seaward, the Hubbard Glacier is about here." I circled a part of the paper. "That's where Alcyoneus is."

"But how far is it?" Emily asked.

"I believe it's only accessible by boat or plane."

"Boat," Percy said immediately.

"Fine. It shouldn't be too far from Seward, and Alcyoneus shouldn't be  _that_  hard to find. He's got a camp three times the size of Camp Jupiter. So much to do, so little time. I've tried calculating the many things that could go wrong, but the train is the fastest way down here. Luckily it's speed may limit the amount of attackers that could come for us, but at the same time give the possible candidates deadly skills. I'd put my bets on aerial attackers, so I'll have to handle those, but there could also be…" I looked to the others. Yeah, maybe not the best way to get their spirits up. "But anyway, I think we can handle them."

Across the street, a frosty black sand beach led down to the sea, which was as smooth as steel. A Hyperborean lumbered across the street, though nobody at the café noticed, and stepped into the bay, cracking the ice under his sandals. He thrust his hands into the water and brought out a killer whale in one fist. Apparently that wasn't what he wanted, because he threw the whale back and kept wading. I wondered if the mortals saw the whale just floating out in space because they couldn't see the Hyperborean, or did it look like the whale was just jumping out of its own will? I'd never known the luxury of having the Mist hide reality from me.

"Good breakfast," Frank said. "Who's ready for a train ride?" We all nodded and headed out. The station wasn't far, and we made it just in time to buy tickets for the last train south. As we climbed aboard, Percy excused himself and ran back to the station to try and call his mom. I increased my hearing and heard he was leaving a voice mail. When the train whistled, I winced and lowered my hearing down again. Percy ran and made it just as they were pulling up the steps, climbing to the top of the double-decker car and sliding into his seat.

"You okay?" Emily asked.

"Yeah," He croaked. "Just…made a call." She nodded and everyone knew not to ask questions. Soon we were heading south along the coast, watching the landscape go by. As an ADHD kid (or just an imaginative daydreamer) I felt myself zoning out. I probably should've been thinking about the quest, keeping an eye out for approaching monsters, but any place where I just had to sit back and travel, I tended to forget all about anything that took concentration and just let my mind go where it wanted.

I absent-mindedly watched things happen outside the windows - bald eagles soaring overhead, glacial waterfalls tumbling thousands of feet down cliffs, forests buried in snowdrifts, big artillery guns (to set off small avalanches and prevent uncontrolled ones), and lakes so clear they reflected the mountains like mirrors so the world looked upside down. Bears lumbered through the meadows, Hyperborean giants kept appearing in the weirdest places: one lounging in a lake like it was a hot tub, another using a pine tree as a toothpick, and another sitting in a snowdrift, playing with two live moose like they were action figures. The train was filled with tourists that were oh-ing and ah-ing, but I felt sorry that they couldn't see the Hyperboreans. They were missing the really good shots.

Frank was studying a map of Alaska that he'd found in his seat pocket, locating Hubbard Glacier, which looked discouragingly far away from Seward. He kept running his finger along the coastline, frowning with concentration.

"What are you thinking?" Percy asked.

"Just…possibilities." Percy seemed confused, but he let it go.

My mind wandered away. I had been meaning to get Audrey a trident, since she wasn't very fond of her sword. I had some shuriken stars from the Zhang mansion that I might want to remember to use eventually. Wasn't there something about Percy falling from Hubbard Glacier and into the water below, or was that just me? I couldn't tell what was future and what was just my imagination anymore. Maybe this place  _was_ affecting my powers from the goddess. I wonder if I should talk to Veon about his nightmares, or would that risk me telling him too much? He wanted me to start talking more about my brother, and the urge to remember the good times with him were more tempting than I was willing to admit. But considering what happened to him, and what may happen to Veon…I might end up talking too much, or end up breaking down. I could appear weak, I couldn't let my guard down, not in these times. Not ever, really.

"What you thinking about?" Ve asked. I hummed in response, not really hearing him, and not wanting to get out of my zone. When my mind found it too tempting to actually process his question, I found myself compelled to answer out of respect.

"Just stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" I shrugged.

"Stuff, stuff." He poked my wing and I flinched. Okay, okay, you have my attention. What do you want?

"Sorry. How does that thing work? Are all your feathers just able to detonate? So if I like, accidentally tug one off, will it explode? Do your feathers regenerate instantly, or do you eventually reach a limit and run out? Are they like, RPG-proof? How much pressure can they take from some kind of attack? Does it weigh a lot? How do you fly with one wing?"

"Um…"

"Sorry. Just asking."

"Well for one thing, it works just like any other limb. I move it as easily as you move your arm. Second, my feathers detonate with my mental command, and yes, they regenerate almost instantly. I've never really reached a limit to their strength, and at most I merely feel some kind of recoil. The thing is practically weightless, at least in my opinion. If someone were to try and weigh me, I'm sure this thing would double my overall weight, making me about 200 pounds in all. As a granddaughter of Zeus, I can control wind currents, therefore I can work with only one wing. The point of it is surface area, and I can expand it to the size of a glider if necessary, while I can also shrink it to the size of a cape. And I can also control the separate feathers, so…" I flared out the feathers and they practically put a wall of feathers between me and him. He pushed the feathers down in a surrendering kind of way.

"Okay, okay, I won't poke you again. So are your wings sensitive?"

"Depending on the situation. I can harden and soften the feathers at will, for blocking and flying purposes respectively."

"What happens if the feathers are pierced somehow?"

"I don't really know. I assume I'd feel a terrible pain, as you might when being stabbed. I can imagine the feeling, and I really don't have the desire to find out. Why are you so curious?"

"I just wanna know. Not every day I meet a real Sephiroth impersonator. I wonder how  _he_  works with one wing. You can work with air currents, you've got an excuse, but how does he do it?"

"My guess is he just uses his own power to fly and the wing is mostly for show, since he's been seen just hovering in the air without using that wing at all. Or he flaps the wing in a directional way so that he's keeping the center of gravity stable."

"What's up with the whole one wing thing anyway? Sure, "one winged angle" sounds kinda cool, but really."

"Ask the game developers, not me. Or look online. I'm pretty sure  _someone's_  asked that question before."

"Is that Hyperborean trying to make a toy house with those trees?" I turned and looked out the window.

"It appears so." I felt him lean against me to get a better look out the window.

"Wonder what that looks like with the Mist."

"Beats me." He put his hand on my shoulder to balance since he was leaning to look out the window, but I realized he'd just subtly put his arm over my shoulders. I couldn't tell if I wanted to lean into it or slap him for being so sappy. Thanks to the Apollo in me, the physical contact was giving me a full report on his health, his heart rate, his metabolism, his immune system, his calorie consumption and energy levels. I sensed he was slightly fatigued at the moment, and needed to get some rest. At this rate he was going to be stumbling around hallucinating because he can't get enough sleep. I'd need to come up with some kind of food or something that made up for his lack of sleep from his nightmares.

"Oop, he broke it." What? Oh, Hyperborean out the window. Right, I knew that. What were we doing again? Right, leaning against each other. Wait, were we doing that a second ago? Well, it's comfortable so I ain't moving. I leaned further against him and put my head in the crook of his neck. I really shouldn't be getting attached to him, or I may have a repeat of my little brother, but for now, I was gonna stay here as long as possible. Emily and Audrey came and handed us each some hot chocolate from the dining car, and I must've spent a good hour smothered in Veon's warmth. I was considering going to sleep, maybe convincing him to do so as well. Then, a shadow passed overhead, much too large and too fast to be some kind of cloud or bird.

" ** _And I was_** **just** ** _beginning to enjoy this._** "

" _Stop smothering him and get up,_ " Zyanya ordered, her mental image suddenly sitting on the other side of Veon. She hadn't been able to put up her mental image very often.

" ** _Hey, been a while._** "

" _Don't "been a while" me._ _Get off of him and look out the window, foolish girl. Monsters have snuck up on you because you've been distracting yourself, because_ he's _been distracting you._ "

" ** _Don't blame it on him._** "

" _I blame both of you. Now get off your arse and move it._ " She shoved me away harshly, but since she wasn't really there, it looked like I rudely jerked away.

"Is…something wrong?" Veon asked worriedly.

"Monsters," I told him, looking out the window. Tourists were murmuring in excitement, beginning to take pictures.

"Eagle!"

"Eagle?"

"Huge eagle!"

"That's no eagle," Frank said. I looked to see the creature make a second pass. It was definitely larger than an eagle, with a sleek black body the size of a Labrador retriever. It's wingspan was at least ten feet across, so about the same size as my one wing alone.

"There's another one!" Emily announced.

"Three," Audrey said. "Scratch that, four! Five?!"

"This might be trouble," Veon said. The creatures circled the train like vultures, delighting the tourists. Well, at least I now knew what these things looked like under the Mist. In reality, they had glowing red eyes, sharp beaks, and vicious talons.

"Gryphons!" I shouted. Several things happened at once. The emergency break screeched, pitching us forward. Tourist screamed and tumbled through the aisles. The monsters swooped down, shattering the glass roof of the car, and the entire train toppled off the rails. I grabbed Veon's hand but saw Audrey, Emily and Percy grabbed by gryphons that tried to fly away with them. They yelled, more out of frustration than fear, as they squirmed to break free. Audrey turned herself to water and fell to the ground, leaving a very surprised gryphon in her wake, but Emily and Percy couldn't do that and were fighting the gryphons with all their might, Emily demanding they be released. I began to fly up, swinging my wing and sending out my feather projectiles to strike the creatures. Frank joined in with some arrows, and Veon grabbed my gun from my belt and began firing. The gryphons shrieked under the assault and let them go.

"Go, I can handle myself!" Veon shouted. Right, he could fly with his lance. I released his hand and flew over to grab Emily and Percy, the wing allowing me much more speed than before. I dropped them next to Frank, Audrey and Hazel, who were shooting arrows, turning the snow to water that attacked, and swinging her sword respectively. I summoned my sword and began to fly around, striking as many gryphons as I could, since there had to be at least a dozen swarming around the others alone. The train cars had fallen over, and their roofs had shattered. Tourists were stumbling around in shock, and though no one looked injured, the gryphons were swooping towards anything that moved. The only thing keeping them away from the mortals was Frank's spartus.

"Used your last charge?" Percy asked.

"Yeah," Frank said before shooting a gryphon out of the sky. "I had to help the mortals. The spear just dissolved." I joined the spartus Gray in protecting the mortals, wondering what I looked like through the Mist.

"Move the fight!" I shouted. "Away from the tracks!" The others began moving and I followed, making sure the gryphons were following. Any who got close to the others were killed easily, but they were reforming almost instantly. About fifty yards from the tracks, the trees gave way to an open marsh. The others were clearly getting tired, as no matter how many times they destroyed the gryphons, they just revived and came back. Audrey was resorting to using all the snow she could to make a tornado or water around the group as a sort of barrier while also trying to keep the ashes from reforming. I realized that they had gone right into a gryphon's nest.

"Is that a-?" Veon asked, floating beside me.

"Yes, yes it is." We flew in to try and help, slashing at the gryphons.

"Back off or I break it!" Percy shouted, and I looked to see him standing with his sword tip pressed against one of the gold pumpkin-sized gryphon's eggs. The nest consisted of old pieces of jewelry, an Imperial gold dagger, and a dented centurion's badge. The gryphons squawked angrily, buzzing around the nest and snapping their beaks, but they didn't attack.

"Gryphons collect gold," Hazel said. "They're crazy for it. Look, more nests over there." Frank nocked his last arrow.

"So if these are their nests, where were they trying to take you guys? Those things were trying to fly away with you."

"Alcyoneus," I said. "Most likely they were working for him. They're not so dumb that they can't track down some people and take them somewhere."

"Please tell me they have weaknesses."

"Horses," Hazel said. "They hate horses. Natural enemies or something. I with Arion was here!" The gryphons shrieked. They swirled around the nest with their red eyes glowing.

"Guys," Frank said nervously. "I see legion relics in this nest.

"I know," Percy said.

"That means other demigods died here, or-"

"Frank, it'll be okay," Emily said. One of the gryphons dived in, but Percy raised his sword, ready to stab the egg. The monster veered off, but the other gryphons were losing their patience.

"So what do we do if they keep coming back?" Veon asked.

"Make a run for it?" Audrey suggested. I looked around, seeing that about a quarter mile away, a Hyperborean giant was sitting in the bog, peacefully picking mud from between his toes with a broken tree trunk.

"I've got an idea," I said. "When I say so, you need to run for that giant."

"You want us to run  _toward_  a giant?" Frank asked in disbelief.

"Trust me. Ready?" I raised my sword and sent out a blast of electricity in all directions, knocking all the gryphons back and turning some to dust. "Go!" The gryphons quickly began recovering and regenerating, and then Veon thrust his hand upwards, golden objects shooting into the air from a dozen nests across the marsh - jewelry, weapons, coins, gold nuggets, and most importantly, gryphon eggs. The monsters shrieked and flew after their eggs, frantic to save them. I really had no desire to kill of the gryphons, who were just victims of circumstance, but I knew that Veon wouldn't actually put the eggs in any harm (he was a sweetheart on the inside).

The others dashed for the giant, their feet splashing and crunching through the frozen marsh. I flew above them and made sure to stay a good deal behind. The giant hadn't noticed the commotion yet, inspecting his toes for mud, his face sleepy and peaceful, his white whiskers glistening with ice crystals. Around his neck was a necklace of found objects - garbage cans, car doors, moose antlers, camping equipment, and even a toilet. I hated to disturb him, but these were more domestic giants, and so I think Zyanya had made friends with them at some point.

"Under!" Percy ordered. "Crawl under!" They scrambled between the massive blue legs and flattened themselves in the mud, crawling as close as they could to his loincloth. They laid low and as still as possible, and I led the gryphons to the giant.

"Mister!" I called. "I require your assistance!" The gryphons arrived in a wave of angry beaks, talons and wings, swarming around the giant, trying to get under his legs to the others. The giant rumbled in surprise, and when he shifted, Percy had to roll to avoid getting crushed. The Hyperborean grunted, swatting at the gryphons but they squawked in outrage and began pecking at his legs and hands. I flew over to his shoulder.

"Ruh?" The giant bellowed.

"Ruh!" I agreed. He took a deep breath and blew out a wave of cold air. The temperature dropped significantly, and the gryphons were instantly frozen, falling and hitting the mud with a bunch of heavy  _thunk, thunk, thunk_ -s. All around the marsh, the trees were glazed with frost, a huge swath of the bog was covered in fresh snow, the frozen gryphons stuck out of the ground like feather popsicle sticks, their wings still spread, beaks opened, eyes wide with surprise.

"Thank you, sir," I said.

"Ruh?"

"Ruh." The other scrambled away, trying to stay out of the giant's way. I waved goodbye and joined them, while the giant looked to the gryphons, seemingly trying to figure out how to string a frozen gryphon onto his necklace. I landed near them and wrapped my wing around myself again as we walked.

"That was cool," Veon said. "No pun intended."

"I almost got hit by Hyperborean breath once," Percy said.

"Well in cases where your enemy comes back when you kill them, the most logical thing to do is petrify them or freeze them," I said. "Something along those lines, where they're not dead enough to reform, but still rendered harmless and defeated."

"I hope they'll be okay," Emily said. "It's not their fault we stumbled into their territory and the giant ordered them to capture us."

"Why did it want Emily?" Audrey asked. "I mean, Polybotes requested the children of Neptune - or Poseidon - for obvious reasons, but why Emily too?"

"Their intended targets were my entire team and Percy," I said. "The two children of Poseidon, but also the biggest threats to Gaea and her army. I've got some notoriety, and anyone that I choose as my knights commonly get the same treatment as me."

"Knights?" Veon asked.

"Well, soldiers, servants, allies, slaves. Eye of the beholder. I've had many hosts, and many associates. I've been in kings and queens, famous people, mortals, demigods and more, but also just regular people in any time period so far. Plus, my enemies just assume all of my associates are merely working  _for_  me with no other choice, which is only true half the time."

"Half?" Audrey asked.

"Unimportant." We walked overland four about an hour, keeping the train tracks in sight but staying in the cover of the trees as much as possible. Once we heard a helicopter flying in the direction of the train wreck, and twice we heard the screech of gryphons, but the sounded a long way off. It was around midnight when the sun finally set and the woods got colder. The stars were thick, and then the northern lights cranked up. The four of my team began singing a bit to pass the time.

" _I'd like to make myself believe_ _  
_ _That planet Earth turns slowly_ _  
_ _It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep_ _  
_ _Cuz everything is never as it seems…_ "

We saw bears and moose, a change from the odd demigod world so far. After another couple of hours, we stumbled across a tiny village between the railroad tracks and a two-lane road. The city limit sign said:  **MOOSE PASS**. Standing next to the sign was an actual moose. It might've looked like a statue for advertising, but then the animal bounded into the woods. We passed a couple of houses, a post office, and some trailers, everything dark and closed up considering the hour. On the other end of town was a store with a picnic table and an old rusted petrol pump in front. The store had a hand-painted sign that read:  **MOOSE PASS GAS**. I laughed while I could sense the other's half confused and a couple smiles on Audrey and Veon's faces breaking free.

"That's just wrong," Frank said. By silent agreement, we sat around the picnic table. The others seemed exhausted. I'd been on the move all my life, so I had stamina even without the goddess's assistance, so I was ready and pumped up to walk all the way to Hubbard Glacier, but clearly everyone else were in bad condition. Everyone sighed in relief to get off their feet, Hazel put her head and her hands and passed out, snoring, Frank took out his last sodas and some granola bars from the train ride and shared, while Audrey passed around more water for us after our singing and long hours of walking. I passed around some energy bars out of my infinite bag while we all sat, trying to make little conversations.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?" Frank suddenly asked. Percy looked across the table to him.

"About what?"s

"About…being proud that we're related." Percy tapped his granola bar on the table.

"Well, let's see. You took out three basilisks while I was sipping green tea and wheat germ; you took on an army of Laistrygonians; you saved my life by shooting down that gryphon; and you gave up your last charge on your magic spear to help some defenseless mortals. You are, hands down, the nicest child of the war god I've ever met…maybe the  _only_  nice one. So what do you think?"

"I had Veon's help against the basilisks. If it hadn't been for him, I would've died like five times in the first minute. Zy did most of the work holding off the Laistrygonians while we were taking off in Vancouver, and took out way more than I did. She also did most of the work hitting the gryphon to get it to release you."

"But it was  _you_  who killed the basilisks in the end, Frank," Veon said.

"And you killed more of the Laistrygonians than I did," I said. "All I did was hold them off, and most of them I didn't actually kill. Even if I did, they reformed near instantly and they were adjusting to my attacks. I wouldn't have lasted much longer at that pace. And your arrows were more effective in hitting the gryphons because my feathers were tiny and I couldn't cause them to explode without risking Percy and Emily. In the end, your arrows were what made them drop the two of them."

"But it wasn't actually me doing anything most of the time. It was Gray who killed the basilisks, and those first Laistrygonians. And it was him who protected the mortals in the end."

"You're still the one who commanded him," Emily said. "Even if Mars gave him to you, a spartus doesn't take lightly to following the orders of a weakling that doesn't deserve it's power. Besides, you learned how to command him, and knew the appropriate time to use him. You gave up your last charge to help a bunch of mortals instead of saving him for Alcyoneus or something." He looked at the northern lights, still shimmering across the stars.

"It's just…I was supposed to be in charge of this quest, the centurion, and all. I feel like you guys have had to carry me."

"Not true," Percy said.

"I'm supposed to have these powers I haven't figured out how to use. Now I don't have a spear, and I'm almost out of arrows. And…I'm scared."

"I'd be more worried if you  _weren't_  scared," Audrey said. "We're all scared, Frank. And your powers? Frank, I must've stared at a cup of water for days before something actually happened. I didn't learn how to change the water's state of matter until recently, and I learned how to turn myself  _into_  water when I was knocked across the Rockies from Colorado to California by a bunch of evil wind spirits. Point? You'll get the hang of it eventually. Don't feel bad if it's taking time."

"Yeah, and I didn't even know what my powers were for a good deal of time," Emily said. "I still can't claim to fully understand how to use them. We're in the middle of a quest, Frank. Usually you have to just sit down and focus on your powers, maybe with someone talking you through it. You're trying to do it while there are tons of other things to worry about. You can't act as though your power can just pop into existence and you'll be a master, especially with no time to actually learn about them and how to use them."

"Yeah, do you know how hard it was for me at first?" I asked. "I couldn't summon a spark of energy at first, and trying to control the wind was like grabbing at the clouds. Healing was basically impossible at first, and I sung like a banshee. And archery? Don't even get me started. It took me weeks to learn the proper angle my arm should be at, how far I should pull the string back for a certain distance for a certain weight of an arrow, and how to account for the wind and gravity. All my god blood did was speed up the process of learning, but even then, it was difficult. You have a lot of power, Frank, and I was born the same way. In return for that power, I don't have a piece of firewood, but I risk overworking myself. I can literally burn up if I don't keep this power under control." Well, it wasn't a lie, not really. My risk of burning up actually came from the  _goddess's_  power, not my own. My mother's blood ensured that all the gifts I was given were under control and didn't have a cost.

"But the Feast of Fortuna is…" He paused in thought. "It's after midnight, isn't it? That means it's June 24th now. The feast starts at tonight at sundown. We have to find our way to Hubbard Glacier, defeat a giant who is undefeatable in his home territory, and get back to Camp Jupiter before they're overrun - all in less than 18 hours."

"And when we free Thanatos, he might claim your life," Percy said. "And Hazel's. Believe me, I've been thinking about it." Frank gazed at Hazel, still snoring lightly. Her face was buried under a mess of curly brown hair.

"She's my best friend," Frank said. "I lost my mom, my grandmother…I can't lose her too."

"I'm not going to lose you guys," Percy promised. I'm not going to let that happen. And Frank, you  _are_  a leader. Hazel would say the same thing. We need you." Frank lowered his head. He seemed lost in thought. Finally he leaned forward until his head bumped the picnic table and he began to snore in harmony with Hazel.

"It's our job to protect you three," Veon said. "We won't let you die."

"We just have to free Thanatos so that the monsters can die again," I said. "I drag Alcyoneus out of Alaska, considering the border to Canada is pretty close. Honestly, the size of Alaska and all the places he could've gone yet he chooses a place so close, it's comical. We destroy him and…if we find the legion's eagle, a couple people could ride Arion and Zoltan down to Camp Jupiter with it. That sounds doable."

"A lot easier said than done, but yeah," Audrey said. "It sounds like a plan. Better than nothing."

"We can do it," Emily stated.

"Not without sleep you guys can't," I said. I waved my hand and all of them collapsed on the table, instantly knocked out.

"Uh, okay then," Veon said. What was I supposed to do about him? Should I try and push my luck and protect him from his nightmares tonight? Him sleeping in a bed is one thing, but out here might not be the safest place for him to be having nightmares.

"Go to sleep, dolt," I ordered. I waved my hand and he instantly looked drowsy, but didn't fall asleep right away. A strong will that resisted influence. Another sign that he was a worthy candidate that we needed. Eventually sleep took him and his head collapsed onto the table as he joined the choir of snoring and soft breathing.

" _Don't get attached,_ " Zyanya reminded me, her mental image appearing across the table from me. " _You can't influence his heart. What's more, I won't have you messing up. We have one last chance. If we fail, then this war against Gaea will no longer matter. You know that._ "

"I know," I said. "I won't mess up." She nodded and closed her eyes before disappearing again. I felt her falling asleep once more within me and I brushed the hair out of Veon's face. What was so wrong with getting attached? I was willing to do what needed to be done, even if I did…he'd hate me when it was over though. Maybe that's why she didn't want me to get attached. Or, it was another reason to want to. I didn't have long before my time with him would end. I should be trying to strengthen his heart as best I can, and helping him enjoy his last few moments of peace.

I sighed and laid my head on the table, still looking towards his sleeping face. There were still so many secrets though, and I couldn't tell him. It was going to kill me inside, looking at him every day and knowing the future to come. But also not knowing. Knowing there was pain to come, but not knowing if he'd be able to survive it. My job was to prepare him for the trials, and that involved allowing him to go through his nightmares. Zyanya told me that touching his heart would influence him, change his heart, making the results of the trials invalid. We can't take that risk, not with so much on the line. But how do we truly define what's considered his heart, and what's my influence? I mean, if we want to be technical, I've been influencing his life ever since we'd met. And Zyanya even before that. Is getting attached to him really any worse than anything else I've done in his life? Aargh! Why are thing so complicated?!

I slipped my mother's ring off my right middle finger and then spun it on the table. I prayed things would work out, and that I'd one day be forgiven for the things I have done in the past, and the things I must do in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "Fireflies" by Owl City


	27. Arrival

First Person: Zytaveon

" _I can go anywhere in the Underworld._ "

" _I have to find them._ "

" _This way, I'm sure of it._ "

" _No! I can't stop now!_ "

" _I can make it…! I_ have  _to make it…!_ "

"Nico?" I shouted. I looked around and the scene showed me the same thing as last night. Nico and I were running through Tartarus. Overwhelmed, we were overwhelmed. Nico fell to Tartarus while searching for the Doors.

" _Veon, come on!_ "

" _Nico, look out!_ " We'd walked into a trap. I'd taken a lot of hits for Nico, enough that I'd probably be dead if I was really here. Or maybe something was keeping me alive. We were losing this battle either way. I'd assisted Nico all I could yesterday, but yesterday we hadn't even faced the true threat yet. We'd only seen the horrors of Tartarus without the Mist, which was scary enough. Now Gaea's army had found us, and we wouldn't be able to escape. I slashed through all the monsters I could, but Nico and I were both losing strength. Nico and I were overpowered, weapons thrown away, too tired for any of our powers and to escape our attacker's grip.

" _We have plans for you, son of Hades. You were foolish to come here._ " We'd walked into a trap. Gods, we should've known. But we had to find the Doors. Now Nico was captured. Was I captured too? Where were they taking us? Nico was beaten until he passed out, I felt the same happening to me.

"Nico!" I jolted up and looked around, adrenaline pumping through me. I was no longer restrained.

"Whoa, are you okay?" I realized I was still on the picnic table bench of the shop we'd stopped in. The sun was just coming up, and the others were still asleep except Zy who was looking to me worriedly. "Hey, what happened? What did you dream of? Are you okay?" I breathed and tried to gather my thoughts. Was that real? Having a dream of Nico and I in Tartarus for only one night felt like just my imagination running wild, similar to the others being killed as well. But  _two_  nights in a row, and nothing suggesting any continuity errors between the two nightmares…I had somehow been there. Did that mean the other nightmares I'd had…?

"I…just a nightmare."

"Tell me. All dreams of demigods are important."

"It…it was Nico." I told her about my last two nights of dreams, finding Nico in Tartarus and trying to help him find the Doors or Death, but ultimately ending in his capture.

"Interesting. So it seems you haven't…" She shook her head. "Your connection with Nico must've allowed you to travel to Tartarus beside him, your soul at least. Things like this are dangerous. In cases such as these, you run the risk of getting your soul into trouble. In any case, If Nico's been captured, I have no doubt he'll be used as a hostage or bargaining chip."

"I felt his fear, Zy. I remember everything in detail. I'm extremely worried about him. I haven't known him long, but it's not just our soul bond that makes me concerned about my brother. I was there, Zy, I could've helped him, I could've prevented this. It was just…Tartarus it…" She put her hand gently on mine.

"I understand, Ve. Tartarus is not someone or something to take lightly. This is not going to be an easy war, but we'll get Nico back."

"Hazel will be concerned about him as well. Do you think we should tell her about it?"

"She's gonna find out anyway. I have no doubt Gaea will brag about her hostage. Right now, we need to focus on this quest. We have a lot on our plate right now. If we get back to Camp Jupiter in time after freeing Thanatos and defeating Alcyoneus, then we can focus on Nico. Gaea won't kill him, not yet, and only once the seven of the prophecy are together will she give her demands." I took a deep breath.

"Okay."

The store opened not very long after when dawn officially broke. The owner was a little surprised to find a bunch of teenagers crashed out on his picnic table, but when Zy explained that we'd stumbled away from last night's train wreck, the guy felt sorry for us and treated us to breakfast. He called a friend of his, an Inuit native who had a cabin close to Seward. Soon we were rumbling along the road in a beat-up Ford pickup that had been new about the time Hazel was born. Percy sat shotgun, Hazel, Frank and Emily sat in the back seat, and Zy, Audrey and I were in the trunk.

The man driving told stories about Bear and Raven, the Inuit gods, and all I could think about was that I hoped we never met them. We had enough enemies already. The truck broke down a few miles outside Seward. The driver didn't seem surprised, as though this happened to him several times a day. He said they could wait for him to fix the engine, but since Seward was only a few miles away, we decided to walk it. By midmorning, we climbed over a rise in the road and saw a small bay ringed with mountains. The town was a thin crescent on the right-hand shore, with wharves extending into the water and a cruise ship in the harbor.

"Seward," Hazel said, though she didn't sound happy to see her old home. We'd already lost a lot of time, and I didn't like how fast the sun was rising. The road curved around the hillside, but it looked like we could get to town faster going straight across the meadows. It was odd though. I could usually feet a solid feeling from the ground, but it felt…

"Come on," Percy said, stepping off the road.

"Percy, wait!" Audrey shouted, grabbing his arm. Percy took his first step looked to her, only for his next step to go straight through the ground. He sank like a stone, dragging Audrey down with him until the earth swallowed both of them.

"Your bow!" Hazel shouted. Frank didn't ask questions. He dropped his pack and slipped the bow off his shoulder. I dived into the mud, trying to get a feel of the earth. A muskeg, marshy silt and decomposed plants made a surface that looked completely solid, but it was even worse than quicksand. This thing had to be thirty feet deep or more, impossible to escape. I felt another's control completely controlling the earth. Gaea.

I didn't have a ton of control over the ground, but I was able to gather my bearings and feel my way towards Audrey and Percy. I felt them still sinking, and Audrey was still gripping Percy's arm. He was panicking without his ability to breathe, while Audrey was frantically trying to control any water in the mud to give them some kind of grip. I grabbed her wrist and began to help her in ascending back to the surface. The earth was fighting against me, and both of us were getting dizzy from oxygen deprivation. I tried using my lance to fly up further, but at best, all I could do was prevent us from being pulled down any lower. A good thing, of course, but not enough to save us.

I suddenly felt Hazel's ankle and gripped it. She had jumped in hanging onto Frank's bow for extra length. I tugged her ankle frantically, out of oxygen, my lungs begging for more that I couldn't provide. There was a moment of hesitation, before she squirmed and tugged on Frank's bow. Instantly, all of us were tugged up with so much force that I swore my arm would pop out of its socket. The moment I felt the air again I gasped for breath. All of us were pulled out and sprawled across the ground. I felt we were lying on grass, and definitely covered in muck. Percy, Audrey and Hazel were near us breathing heavily, coughing and spitting mud.

"Oh, gods, oh gods, oh gods!" Frank was yelling.

"Are you all okay?" Emily asked. "Breathe, you're okay."

"Come on, we need to get to the road," Zy said. She dragged us back to the road while Frank yanked some extra clothes from his bag and started toweling off Hazel's face, though it didn't do much good.

"You were down there for so long!" Frank cried. "I didn't think…oh, gods, don't  _ever_  do something like that again!" He wrapped Hazel in a bear hug.

"Can't…breathe…" She choked out.

"Sorry!"

"Frank, calm down," Emily said.

"You're more panicked than the ones who were actually in trouble," Zy agreed. She got us to the side of the road where we sat shivering and spitting up mud clods. Zy did a quick medical check down on each of us, which meant she was just taking our wrists and relaying medical details. "You're all pretty cold. Rub your hands together, they're at the highest risk right now. It'd be sad if you lost a few fingers before we even made it to the giant. Breathe faster than you need to, it should get your blood flowing. Deep breaths. And wipe off all the mud you can. It's only gonna make you colder. Audrey, I think you should be able to help."

"There's something…" Hazel began. "Something happened." She began to explain how the moment she jumped in the mud, Gaea began to show her an offering of living a happy life in return for letting us drown. She didn't mention anything about Sammy, though I know that had to be a part of the deal considering how much she cared for him. She did say things about a fake life, but also that Gaea had claimed she'd captured Nico. That was one way for her to figure it out, I guess, but it was a hard way for her to learn about her brother. Percy rubbed his shoulders and Zy moved to help warm him.

"You…you saved me, Hazel. All of us," He said. "We'll figure out what happened to Nico, I promise." Hazel squinted at the sun, which was now high in the sky.

"Does it seem like Gaea let us go too easily?" She asked.

"Maybe she still wants us as pawns," Audrey suggested, trying to use her powers to get the mud out of her hair. "Maybe she was just saying those things to mess with your mind."

"She knew what to say," She agreed. "She knew how to get to me." Frank put his jacket around her shoulders.

"This  _is_  a real life," He said. "You know that, right? We're not going to let you die again." She pressed her coat pocket where Frank's half-burned firewood was. I was unsure of whether Death was planning to take Hazel back. Though Hazel was supposed to be dead, she still had been granted a life when she was revived. I wondered if Death really could just take everyone who was supposed to be dead and kill them when we freed him, or if my hypothesis is correct and he didn't have that kind of power. Death's job is to keep the dead dead, but if all these monsters have been brought back to life, it means that Thanatos has no real control over them anymore. Not until we re-kill them. All these monsters are escapees, but Death might not be able to round them up until we kill them again. Meaning that we're still gonna be plagued with people and monsters that have been brought back to life even if we free Thanatos, but also that Hazel can stay with us until she dies a real death again.

I looked up at the sun. There was hope for Hazel yet, and she would be allowed to make the most of her second chance. Besides, she was confirmed a member of the seven of the Great Prophecy. I'd put my bets on Hazel's survival, and future. I thought about Hylla. Tonight must've been her second night fighting Otrera. I sensed that she was a strong woman, and I put my bets on her to have won the last two nights as well. But she was still counting on us to release Death. We needed to get moving.

"Any hotels or something where we could clean off?" Percy asked. "I mean…hotels that accept mud people?"

"I'm not sure," Hazel admitted. I looked around, and though this place was unfamiliar, I did recognize the grid of downtown streets, and some warehouses along the shore. They weren't from  _my_  memories, heck I'd left Colorado maybe five times in my entire life (including my trips with my dad to visit the Underworld and the gods), and I've never been to Alaska, but they seemed to be from Hazel's memories that were transferred to me during her blackouts.

"There may be a place," I said.

"Yeah," Hazel said. "I might know somewhere we can freshen up." She led us into town, and I realized she was walking the same route she'd used 70 years ago - the last night of her life, when she'd come home from the hills and found her mother missing. We walked down Third Avenue, and I saw the railroad station was still there. The big white two-story Seward Hotel was still in business, though it had expanded to twice its old size. We turned toward the shoreline, and surprisingly, Hazel's old home was still there, leaning over the water on barnacle-encrusted piers. The roof sagged, the walls were perforated with holes like buckshot, and the door was boarded up with a hand painted sign on it that read:  **ROOMS**   **STORAGE** **AVAILABLE**.

"Come on," Hazel said.

"Uh, you sure it's safe?" Frank asked. Hazel didn't answer, finding an open window and climbing inside. The rest of us followed to find the room having been abandoned for a long time. We kicked up dust that swirled in the buckshot beams of sunlight. Mouldering cardboard boxes were stacked along the walls with faded labels reading:  _Greeting Cards_ ,  _Assorted Seasonal_. Why several hundred boxes of season's greetings had wound up crumbling to dust in a warehouse in Alaska, I had no idea.

"It's warmer in here, at least," Zy said. "It should help keep you all warm. No running water in here. I guess I might as well go shopping for clothes for you all. Any requests?"

Hazel climbed over a stack of boxes in the corned that used to be Haze's sleeping area. An old sign was propped against the wall:  **GOLD PROSPECTING SUPPLIES**. She moved the sign, but instead of a bare wall, most of Hazel's photos and drawings were still pinned there. The sign must've protected them from sunlight and the elements. She had crayon drawings of New Orleans, pictures of her mother, one of her smiling in front of a business sign:  **QUEEN MARIE'S GRIS-GRIS - CHARMS SOLD, FORTUNES TOLD**. Next to that was a photo of Sammy at the carnival, smiling with a crazy grin, his curly black hair, and that wild look in his eyes. He was practically Leo's twin, and if Hazel's memories were anything to go by, he  _acted_ like Leo as well. Maybe Leo was Sammy's descendant or something. I wonder how Hazel was going to take meeting Leo. I mean, she and Frank were practically a couple now, and it wasn't like Hazel was going to end up falling in love with Leo just because he looked like Sammy. Frank's fingers hover over the photo of Sammy.

"Who…?" Frank asked before noticing Hazel was crying and clamping back his question. "Sorry, Hazel. This must really be hard. Do you want some time-"

"No," She croaked. "No, it's fine."

"Is that your mother?" Percy asked, pointing to the photo of Queen Marie. "She looks like you. She's beautiful." He studied the picture of Sammy with a look of recognition. Right, Percy had had a dream where he saw Leo working on the Argo II. "Who's that?"

"That's…that's Sammy," Hazel forced out, avoiding looking to Frank. "He was my…uh…my friend from New Orleans."

"I've seen him before."

"You couldn't have. That was in 1941. He's…he's probably dead now." Percy frowned.

"I guess. Still…"

"He does look like someone we know," Audrey admitted. "A friend from Camp Half-Blood who's planning to come help Camp Jupiter. Maybe you'll meet him."

"Uh, there was a store on the last block," Zy said quickly. "I'm handling the funds of the trip. I'll go get you guys some food and clothes and maybe - I don't know, a hundred boxes of wet wipes or something. At least I'm not covered in mud and won't look like some mud-wrestler."

"I'll go with you," Frank said. "I'm not covered in mud either, so. You can come too, Emily."

"Sure. Why not?" Hazel put the gold prospecting sign back over her mementos.

"That would be great," She said.

"Be back soon," Zy said. Once they were gone, we began to set up a temporary camp. We took off our jackets to try to scrape off the mud (I really liked this jacket, by the way, so once this quest was over, I was getting it properly washed). We found some old blankets in a crate and used them to clean up. We discovered that boxes of greeting cards made pretty good places to rest if you arranged them like mattresses. Percy set his sword on the floor where it glowed with a faint bronze light, while I set my sword next to it, along with my lance. Percy stretched out on a bed of  _Merry Christmas 1982_.

"Thank you for saving me," He said. "I should've told you all that earlier."

"You would've done the same for us," Audrey said.

"Yes. But when I was down in the mud, I remembered that line from Ella's prophecy - about the son of Neptune drowning. I thought, "This is what it means. I'm drowning in the earth." I was sure I was dead." Audrey put her hand on his shoulder.

"Bad way to realize that we can drown. Makes you realize that the only thing we  _can't_  drown in is water. We can drown in plenty of other things. But you never know. Ella said the prophecy was burned, so the lines of the prophecy could very well be incomplete. Maybe you drown someone else."

"You think so?"

"You'll make it back home, Perce. You'll see Annabeth again. She's told me all about you and your adventures. Honestly, it's like you walk into trouble purposefully just for kicks." He snorted.

"And you'll make it back too, Hazel," I said. "We're not gonna let anything happen to you. You're too valuable to us, to the camp, and especially to Frank." Hazel picked up an old valentine, but the lacy white paper fell apart in her hands.

"I don't belong in this century. Nico only brought me back so I could correct my mistakes, maybe get into Elysium."

"Well I don't believe that. There's more to your destiny than that. We're supposed to fight Gaea together, and you're a person we're gonna need at our side longer than just today. Take our word for it. I'm not letting my only sister get taken away just like that."

"Considering he chose to spend every day with a group of girls, I'd say he's ecstatic about having a sister," Audrey said.

"That's just a coincidence," I protested. "You just  _happened_  to be the only other demigods at the school and therefore I became friends with you. But look, Hazel. I may have a theory that suggests Thanatos won't be able to take you even when we free him." She closed her eyes.

"Please, don't get my hopes up. I can't-"

"Success!" We looked to see Frank through the window. He climbed in, triumphantly holding some shopping bags. Emily and Zy came in behind him with their own bags of goodies.

"An infinite money supply does wonders," Zy said. "I might end up hurting the economy at this rate, but…you know, what the heck." They showed off their prizes. Frank had gotten a new quiver of arrows, some rations, and a coil of rope from a hunting store.

"For the next time we run across muskeg," He explained. From a local tourist shop, they'd gotten some fresh clothes, some towels, some soap, some bottled water (considering Audrey had  _finally_  run out), and yes, two huge boxes of wet wipes.

"What? You thought I was kidding?" Zy asked. She waved her hand and a bunch of boxes of greeting cards formed a wall. "Boys on that side, girls on this one. Here's your honorary box of wet wipes, boys, and your clothes." We changed on our respective sides of the wall, wiping off any of the mud that had dried onto us and changing into our new clothes (Zy was kind enough to get me my preferences of jeans, a black T-shirt and combat boots). I also worked to clean my weapons, as well. Once both genders were finished, Zy took my jacket and snapped it clean.

"And you couldn't have done that to the rest of our clothes?" I asked.

"Well you all needed a wardrobe change, and I'm not the goddess of washed laundry. I don't like wasting my energy. Besides, the jacket means a lot to you, and you look weird without it. And as a bonus, I'm no longer obligated to get you a birthday gift."

"Hey, this does  _not_  count as an early birthday gift!" She turned around dramatically, and I assumed she crossed her arms under her wing/coat.

"Too bad," She said, though her tone was more playful than serious, and I knew she was smiling.

"Aw, and I was looking forward to what a goddess could give me."

" _I'd give you a kick to the groin, that's what._  Zyanya!  _What? That's my idea of a gift. What's yours?_ " She sighed.

"Does this happen often?" I asked.

"Depending on the day," Emily said.

"In any case, we now find a boat to Hubbard Glacier," Zy said. Frank patted his stomach.

"If we're going to battle to the death, I want lunch first. I found the perfect place." He led us out to a shopping plaza near the wharf, where an old railway car had been converted to a diner. I didn't have any memory of it from Hazel, but the food smelled pretty good. While we ordered, Hazel went out to the docks and asked some questions, but when she came back, her face said everything.

"We're in trouble," She said. "I tried to get a boat, but…I miscalculated."

"No boats?" Audrey asked.

"Oh, I can get a boat, but the glacier is farther than I thought. Even at top speed, we couldn't get there until tomorrow morning."

"Well, maybe we can get the boat to go faster?" Percy suggested.

"Even if you could, from what the captains have told me, it's treacherous - icebergs, mazes of channels to navigate. You'd have to know where you were going."

"A plane?" Frank asked, but Hazel shook her head.

"I asked the boat captains about that. They said we could try, but it's a tiny airfield. You have to charter a plan two, three weeks in advance."

"So our problem is speed and mobility," Zy summed up, her hand on her chin in thought. "Perhaps I can figure something out. Give me a few minutes." She walked off, and I wondered what plan she had. You'd think a goddess would have the ability to poof us to Hubbard Glacier no problem, but if that were the case, we'd have been there the moment we left Camp Jupiter. I guess teleporting so many people would be too tiring, or maybe it's the same reason the gods aren't allowed to interfere with us demigods, like how Mars couldn't help us get rid of the Laistrygonians. It had to be our quest, no godly cheating allowed. I'm guessing the only reason Zy was allowed to help was because she was in a human host.

All of us ate in silence, and the food really was delicious, even with an impending battle to the death ahead of us. I'd just finished my burger before a raven settled on the telephone pole above and began to croak at us, and he wasn't even saying anything. He was just shouting for no apparent reason other than " _Hey, I'm sitting on a pole!_ " Ravens were always a mystery to me, as in, I couldn't figure out if they were good omens or bad ones, considering I'm a son of Hades where the two are hard to distinguish. I remembered that a raven had talked to Hazel on the night she died. I worried about Nico. I sensed he was still alive, but even with the great distance between us, I could sense panic in his soul, fear, a small drive of hope, and a good deal of despair. Nico, you'd better stay alive until we can rescue you.

Suddenly the raven's cawing changed to s strangled yelp. Frank got up so fast, he almost toppled the picnic table, and Percy drew his sword. Perched on the top of the pole where the raven had been, a fat ugly gryphon glared down at us. It burped, and raven feathers fluttered from its beak. I drew my lance, while Audrey opened her water bottle and Hazel unsheathed her spatha. Frank nocked an arrow and took aim, but the gryphon shrieked so loudly the sound echoed off the mountains. Frank flinched and his shot went wide.

"That's a call for help," I said. "We have to get out of here." With no clear plan, we ran for the docks. The gryphon dove after us, Percy slashed at it with his word, but the gryphon veered out of reach. Audrey threw out her water, which turned into many deadly projectiles of ice. The gryphon shrieked and was stalled, so we ran down the steps to the nearest pier and raced to the end. The gryphon swooped in once more, its front claws extended for the kill. Suddenly an ice wall of water slammed sideways into the gryphon and washed it into the bay. The gryphon squawked and flapped its wings. It managed to scramble onto the pier, where it shook its black fur like a wet dog.

"Nice one," Emily said.

"Bad news," Audrey said. "Look!" About a mile away, over the mountains, a black cloud was swirling - a whole flock of gryphons, dozens at least. There was no way we could take on that many, not without losing valuable time and resources. Frank nocked an arrow.

"Not going down without a fight."

"I'm with you," Percy said, raising Riptide. Suddenly the gryphon at the docks shrieked and we looked over to find it had charged us, but was stopped by Zy who was behind it. She ran up, jumping on the gryphon in the process and pulling something out of its wing.

"Sorry 'bout that, buddy. No attacking my friends, got it?" She ran over, and I realized she had thrown one of those small shuriken stars that she'd gotten from Frank's house. "Way to get yourselves cornered. Luckily, I have transportation  _and_  a way out of this." She put her fingers in her mouth and then whistled way louder than anyone should've been able to (must be an Apollo thing). Two blurs, tan and black, came ripping down the street and onto the pier. Our stallions materialized right behind the gryphon, Arion bringing down his front hooves and smashing the monster to dust.

"Good horse!" Hazel shouted. " _Really_  good horse."

" _Show off,_ " Zoltan muttered at Arion. Frank backed up and almost fell of the pier.

"How-?"

"They followed us," Zy said. "Always know the location of their chosen masters."

"He's the best - horse - EVER!" Hazel declared.

"Get on! Three each, I'll fly."

"Can you even keep up with them?" I asked.

"Don't underestimate me."

"Three of us each?" Percy asked. "Can they handle it?" The two horses whinnied indignantly, saying something which I am  _not_  going to translate. "All right, no need to be rude. Let's go." We climbed on, me in front on Zoltan with Audrey and Emily behind me, while Hazel was in front on Arion, Frank and Percy balancing precariously behind her. Audrey and Emily didn't seem very concerned about the ride as Percy and Frank were.

"Run!" I ordered. "To Hubbard Glacier!" The horses shot across the water with Zy in tow, flying above us with her wing out going just as fast with ease. Hazel had told us the boat captains had told her that it was 300 nautical miles to the Hubbard Glacier, a hard, dangerous journey, but Arion and Zoltan didn't seem to have any trouble.

We raced over the water at the speed of sound, hooves turning the top of the sea to steam, and the air was heated around us so we didn't even feel the cold. Audrey was laughing at the ride, Emily was just smiling, while Frank and Percy…well, their moods hadn't improved. They were holding on tight, desperate not to slip off the horse. Hopefully Zy would save them if anything happened, but science says that they would  _not_ want to fall off a horse going at the speed of sound.

We raced through the icy straits, past blue fjords and cliffs with waterfalls spilling into the sea. Zoltan and Arion jumped over a breaching humpback whale and kept galloping, startling a pack of seals off an iceberg. It seemed like only minutes before we zipped into a narrow bay, the water turning the consistency of shaved ice in blue sticky syrup. The stallions came to a halt on a frozen turquoise slab. As soon as the horses stopped, I felt the temperature drop. All that ice was sending off waves of cold, turning the bay into the world's largest refrigerator.

A half a mile away stood Hubbard Glacier. Purple snowcapped mountains marched off in either direction, with clouds floating around their middles like fluffy belts. In a massive valley between two of the largest peaks, a ragged wall of ice rose out of the sea, filling the entire gorge. The glacier was blue and white with streaks of black so that it looked like a hedge of dirty snow left behind on a sidewalk after a snowplow had gone by, only four million times larger.

"What  _is_  that?" Frank asked, gazing at the clouds above the glacier. "A storm?"

"No, ice cracking and shifting," Zy said. "Millions of tons of ice."

"You mean that thing is breaking up?" As if on cue, a sheet of ice silently calved off the side of the glacier and crashed into the sea, spraying water and frozen shrapnel several stories high. A millisecond later, the sound hit is, a  _BOOM_  almost as jarring as Arion hitting the sound barrier. "We can't get close to that thing!"

"We have to," Emily said. "The giant is at the top. I'm sure Arion and Zoltan can get us up there, right?" Arion nickered.

"Jeez, Hazel, tell your horse to watch his mouth," Percy said.

"What did he say?" She asked.

"With the cussing removed? He said they can get us to the top." Frank looked incredulous.

"I thought horses couldn't fly!" Now both Arion and Zoltan whinnied angrily.

"Dude, I've gotten suspended for saying less than that," Percy said.

"They promise you'll see what they can do as soon as you give them the word," Audrey said.

"Hold on then," I said. "Let's go!" The two horses shot toward the glacier like a runaway rocket, barreling straight across the slush like they wanted to play chicken with the mountain of ice. The air grew colder and the crackling of the ice grew louder. The side of the glacier was riddled with crevices and caves, spiked with jagged ridges like ax blades. Pieces were constantly crumbling off, some no larger than snowballs and some the size of houses. When we were about fifty yards from the base, a thunderclap rattled my bones, and a curtain of ice that would have covered Camp Jupiter calved away and fell toward us.

"Look out!" Frank shouted, which seemed a little unnecessary. Arion, Zy, and Zoltan were way ahead of him. In a burst of speed, they zig-zagged through the debris, leaping and flying over chunks of ice and clambering up the face of the glacier. Percy and Frank cussed like horses and held on desperately while Audrey was just making simple "Whoops" and "That was a close one" comments. The three of them scaled the cliffs, jumping and soaring from foothold to foothold with impossible speed and agility. It was like falling down a mountain in reverse, and the scene came straight out of a videogame. When it was over, the horses and Zy stood proudly at the top of a ridge of ice that loomed over the void, the see now 300 feet below us.

" _Whoo, beat that punks!_ " Arion whinnied in challenge, though he didn't say "punks."

" _Let's move!_ " Zoltan ordered. They turned and ran inland across the top of the glacier, leaping a chasm fifty feet across.

"There!" Percy called pointing. The horses came to a halt and Zy flew beside us. Ahead of us stood a frozen Roman camp like a giant-sized ghastly replica of Camp Jupiter. The trenches bristled with ice spikes, the snow-brick ramparts glared blinding white, and hanging from the guard towers, banners of frozen blue cloth shimmered in the arctic sun. There was no sign of life, the gates stood wide open, and no sentries walked the walls. This was just screaming ambush, like walking straight into a ghost town. Arion and Zoltan trotted skittishly, while Zy landed, wrapped her wing around herself again and walked beside the horses, looking on edge.

"Frank, how about we go on foot from here?" Percy suggested. Frank sighed in relief.

"Thought you'd never ask."

"Might as well dismount for mobility's sake," Audrey said. She and Emily got off Zoltan too, the four of them drawing their weapons. Hazel and I urged our horses forward, our previous passengers taking either side of us with Zy marching forward ahead of us. We approached the gate without being challenged, and I didn't see any traps: pits, snares, trip lines, etc. There was nothing - just the yawning icy gates and the frozen banners crackling in the wind - but I did sense something all around, overwhelming my senses and making me dizzy. Why would there be no one in a camp this large? I doubt they all went running at the prospect of six demigods and a sort-of goddess. Well, then again, Porphyrion went running at the sight of six demigods and two goddesses. We were no doubt walking into a trap, but we had little choice but to walk forward. We could see straight down the Via Praetoria, and at the crossroads, in front of the snow-brick principia, a tall, dark-robed figure stood, bound in icy chains.

"Hey, Thanatos!" I urged Zoltan forward before I saw Hazel almost fall off Arion. Frank caught her and propped her up again, while I realized that though Hazel did have a life, she would still be affected by being so close to Death. While Percy and Frank looked after Hazel, I went ahead to Thanatos. The place was an exact replica of Camp Jupiter - cohort barracks, baths, armory - except it was three times as big.

"Um, hello?" Emily asked. "Mr. Death?"

"Thanatos?" I asked. The hooded figure raised his head. Instantly the whole camp stirred to life. Figures in Roman armor emerged from the barracks, the principia, the armory, and the canteen, but they weren't human. They were shades - chattering ghosts that lived in the Underworld. Their bodies weren't much more than wisps of black vapor, but they managed to hold together sets of scale armor, greaves, and helmets. Frost-covered swords were strapped to their waists, pila and dented shields floated in their smoky hands, and the plumes on the centurions' helmets were frozen and ragged. Most of the shades were on foot, but two soldiers burst out of the stables in a golden chariot pulled by ghostly black steeds. When Arion saw the horses, he stamped the ground in outrage, and I could feel Zoltan's anger radiating even though he managed to keep his cool on the outside.

"Oh,  _here's_  the trap," I said. "It was taking them long enough."


	28. Eldest of the Giants

First Person: Zytaveon

The ghosts formed ranks and encircled the crossroads. They were about a hundred in all - not an entire legion, but more than a cohort. Some carried the tattered lightning bolt banners of the Twelfth Legion, Fifth Cohort - Michael Varus's doomed expedition from the 1980's. Others carried standards and insignia I didn't recognize, as if they'd died at differed times, on different quests - maybe not even from Camp Jupiter. Most were arms with Imperial gold weapons - more Imperial gold than the entire Twelfth Legion possessed. I could feel the combined power of all that gold humming around us, almost as bad at King Midas's place. Trying to control so much might still overwhelm me, even with Hazel's help dividing up the work.

"Thanatos!" Hazel shouted, turning to the robed figure. "We're here to rescue you. If you control these shades, tell them-" Her voice faltered when the god's hood fell away and his robes dropped off as he spread his wings, leaving him in only a sleeveless black tunic belted at the waist. I rolled my eyes. Now he was just showing off. His skin was the color of teakwood, dark and glistening, his eyes were as honey gold as Hazel's, he was lean and muscular, with a regal face and black hair flowing down his shoulders. His wings glimmered in shades of blue, black and purple, contrasting the brighter colors of Zy's wing.

"Oh," Hazel said in a small voice. Great.

"Does he look familiar?" Emily asked, unaffected. Audrey seemed to be staring at him with no expression either, and Zy was just her normal self, looking more to the shades than to the god. Thank goodness all of  _my_  friends weren't swooning over him. The god's wrists were shackled in icy manacles, with chains that ran straight into the glacier floor. His feet were bare, shackled around the ankles and also chained.

"It's Cupid," Frank said.

"A really buff Cupid," Percy agreed.

"You compliment me," Thanatos said. His voice was deep and melodious, and I understood why people would mistake him for Cupid. In reality, Cupid was beautiful to a scary extent, and he looked more evil than Thanatos. Cupid was what you'd think Death would be like, and Death is what you'd think Cupid would look like. Humph. "I am frequently mistaken for the god of love. Death has more in common with Love than you might imagine. But I am Death, I assure you."

"Yeah, that's him," I said. "Trust me, there's a distinct difference between him and Cupid."

"Hello, Zytaveon."

"Finally, the  _one_  god that can get my name right."

"Oh no, Zika Virus, I  _never_  get your name right," Zy said.

"You get the point."

"We're…we're here to save you," Hazel managed. "Where's Alcyoneus?"

"Save me…?" Thanatos questioned, his eyes narrowing. "Do you understand what you are saying, Hazel Levesque? So you understand what that will mean?" Percy stepped forward.

"We're wasting time," He said before swinging his sword at the god's chains. Celestial bronze rang against the ice, but Riptide stuck to the chain like glue and frost began creeping up the blade. Zy kicked it and the sword snapped free of the chains, but the chains were unaffected.

"That won't work," She declared. "If the chains could be broken so easily, they wouldn't be strong enough to hold Death."

"As for the giant, he is close," Thanatos said. "These shades are no mine. They are his."

"I figured," I said. "They'd be a lot easier to control of they weren't under a giant's will. Alcyoneus no less." Thanatos's eyes scanned the ghost soldiers. They shifted uncomfortably, as if an arctic wing was rattling through their ranks.

"So how do we get you out?" Hazel demanded. Thanatos turned his attention back to her.

"Daughter of Pluto, child of my master, you of all people should not wish me released."

"Don't you think I  _know_  that?!" She drew her cavalry sword, and Arion reared in defiance. "Listen, Death. I didn't come back from the Underworld and travel thousands of miles to be told that I'm stupid for setting you free. If I die, I die. I'll fight this whole army if I have to. Just tell us how to break your chains." Thanatos studied her for a heartbeat.

"Interesting. You do understand that these shades were once demigods like you. They fought for Rome. They died without completing their heroic quest. Like you, they were sent to Asphodel. Now Gaea has promised them a second life if they fight for her today. Of course, if you release me and defeat them, they will have to return to the Underworld where they belong. For treason against the gods, they will face eternal punishment. They are not so different from you, Hazel Levesque. Are you sure you want to release me and damn these souls forever?"

"I've sworn to not be biased by my own feelings," I said. "I'll send them where they belong no matter what." Frank clenched his fists.

"That's not fair! Do you want to be freed or not?"

"Fair…" Death mused. "You'd be amazed how often I hear that word, Frank Zhang, and how meaningless it is. Is it fair that your life will burn so short and bright? Was it fair when I guided your mother to the Underworld?" Frank staggered like he'd been punched. "No," Death said sadly. "Not fair. And yet it was her time. There is no fairness in Death."

"It is the way things are and have to be," Zy said. "It's not fair, but things are that way for a reason. To preserve the natural order of life and death, things have to happen, people have to die. All things will end, death is required for life to mean anything. Call it unfair, but it's as fair as it's ever going to be. In exchange for having the chance at life, a chance to be happy, it has to come to an end, and you can't complain when it does."

"If you free me, I will do my duty. But of course these shades will try to stop you."

"So if we let you go, we get mobbed by a bunch of black vapor dudes with gold swords," Percy summed up.

"Sounds good to me," Audrey said. "How to we break the chains?" Thanatos smiled.

"Only the fire of life can melt the chains of death." Zy cursed under her breath.

"Of course it's right now when we need it most."

"Without the riddles, please," Percy requested.

"It isn't a riddle," Frank said, taking a shaky breath.

"Frank no," Hazel said weakly. "There's got to be another way. Zy, can't you…?"

"Unfortunately this is our only option," Zy said. "I've not the strength to break the chains, not without burning myself up in the process. This body can't sustain a fire of life at the moment. Death being chains only makes the situation worse, as his capture results in imbalance that affects me. I'm sorry, but at best I can break one chain and be drained, two if I'm willing to commit suicide."

"We can't have that," Thanatos said. "If you cease to exist, then freeing me will be meaningless."

"I'm well aware. I'm sorry, Frank. This is a lot to ask of you, but if I assist you in breaking one chain, your fire might be enough that we free him and you don't die." Laughter suddenly boomed across the glacier.

"My friends," A rumbling voice said. "I've waited so long!" Standing at the gates of the camp was Alcyoneus. He was even larger than the giant Polybotes, with metallic golden skin, armor made from platinum links, and an iron staff the size of a totem pole. His rust-red dragon legs pounded against the ice as he entered the camp. Precious stones glinted in his red braided hair, but I sensed him being entirely made of gold and gems, diamonds and oil. The giant approached, grinning at Hazel with his solid silver teeth.

"Ah, Hazel Levesque. You cost me dearly! If not for you, I would have risen decades ago, and this world would already be Gaea's. But no matter!" He spread his hands, showing off the ranks of ghostly soldiers. "Welcome, Percy Jackson, Audrey Mavepo! Welcome Frank Zhang and Emily Hezesto! Zytaveon Kanazoi, and of course Lucy Chikara, host to the goddess now known as Zyanya. I am Alcyoneus, the bane of Pluto, the  _new_  master of Death. And this is your new legion."

"So," Audrey said. "If you're the bane of the god of the Underworld and death and such, shouldn't you be more, I don't know? Life-y? I get you guys are like, opposites of the gods and such, but sometimes it's like you guys are trying to imitate them rather than oppose them. It's really confusing."

"The gods are confusing too," I said. "I'll never claim to fully understand them."

"Yeah, well you humans are just a bundle of confusion yourselves," Zy said. "We can claim to understand you, we can figure out the science of your hearts and minds, and yet you still amaze us."

"You're foolishness will lead to your demise, my grandmother," Alcyoneus said. "Gaea intends to make you and your husband suffer." Zy's feathers on her wing flared, hardening to deadly spikes like a porcupine's quills, and she hissed like a snake.

"Respect your elders, Alcyoneus. We've existed since long before your mother and father, and you know nothing of what we are able to do. If anything,  _you_  are the one who's ignorance shall lead to his defeat."

"Hazel," Frank said quietly. "That package you're keeping for me? I need it." Hazel glanced at him in dismay, still sitting upon Arion.

"Frank, no. There has to be another way."

"Please. I…I know what I'm doing." Thanatos lifted his manacled wrists.

"You're right, Frank Zhang. Sacrifices must be made." Great. If Death approved of his plan, then I'm sure we weren't going to like the results. I sensed the high chance of death around Frank, which didn't calm my nerves. The giant Alcyoneus stepped forward, his reptilian feet shaking the ground.

"What package do you speak of, Frank Zhang? Have you brought me a present?"

"Nothing for you, Golden Boy," Frank said. "Except a whole lot of pain." The giant roared with laughter.

"Spoken like a child of Mars! Too bad I have to kill you. And  _this_  one…my, my, I've been waiting to meet the famous Percy Jackson." The giant grinned, his sliver teeth making his mouth look like a car grille. "I've followed your progress, son of Neptune. Your fight with Kronos? Well done. Gaea hates you above all others…except perhaps for that upstart Jason Grace, and that little girl right there." Zy bowed sarcastically.

"Why thank you, sir. I do try."

"I'm sorry I can't kill you right away, but my brother Polybotes wishes to keep you as a pet. He thinks it will be amusing when he destroyed Neptune to have the god's favorite son on a leash. After that, of course, Gaea has plans for you. And of course your sister there is a valuable prize. Her power is inconceivable, if only she knew how to use it properly."

"I'm standing right here and I can definitely hear you," Audrey said.

"Yeah, flattering," Percy said, raising Riptide. "But actually I'm he son of Poseidon. I'm from Camp Half-Blood." The ghost stirred, some drawing swords and lifting shields. Alcyoneus raised his hand, gesturing for them to wait.

"Greek, Roman, it doesn't matter. We will crush both camps underfoot. You see, the Titans didn't think  _big_ enough. They planned to destroyed th gods in their new home of America. We giants know better! To kill a weed, you must pull up its roots. Even now, while my forces destroy your little Roman camp, my brother Porphyrion is preparing for the real battle in the ancient lands! We will destroy the gods at their source." The ghosts pounded their swords against their shields, the sound echoing across the mountains.

"The source?" Frank asked. "You mean Greece?" Alcyoneus chuckled.

"No need to worry about that, son of Mars. You won't live long enough to see our ultimate victory. I will replace Pluto as lord of the Underworld. I already have Death in my custody. With Hazel Levesque in my service, I will have all the riches under the earth as well!" Hazel gripped her spatha.

"I don't do  _service_ ," She declared.

"Oh, but you gave me life!" Alcyoneus said. "True, we hoped to awaken Gaea during World War II. That would've been glorious. But really, the world is in almost as bad a shape now. Soon, your civilization will be wiped out. The Doors of Death will stand open. Those who serve us will never perish. Alive or dead, you  _will_ join my army."

"You can't force us to work, dead or alive," I said. "That's kinda stupid. You can't threaten me with death, and we'd most likely rebel. Ever watched Doctor Who? You can win a war, you can overthrow leaders and create new worlds, but there will always be another uprising after that, and another after that. The cycle doesn't end until there's no one left in existence. Maybe one day the gods  _will_  fall. Even if we beat you today, you'll all come back in another few millennia, or someone else will try and destroy the gods instead. Doesn't matter. When the day comes that the gods do fall, whether that be this time, or the next, or a couple million years from now, that next empire won't last either. The gods are far from perfect, and life and death may not seem fair, yet I'd prefer this empire over yours. But if you do manage to succeed, watch closely how others begin to rebel against you once your common enemy is gone. See how your empire shall crumble, how your allies start to believe they stand a chance defeating you and taking your throne, and watch as time destroys everything you have. It may take thousands of years, or millions, but in the end, you will see how easily it will fall apart. History can only repeat itself until it screws up so badly that there's no one left to make mistakes again."

"But until that day comes, we're going to fight you," Zy declared. "Life is precious because it ends, right? Same goes for happiness. We only feel joy and happiness from things because we know that it will end one day, that it is threatened every minute of every day. But because it ends, we have the right to fight for it. And today we will stop you!" Hazel spurred her horse toward the giant.

"I raised this monster from the earth. I'm the daughter of Pluto. It's my place to kill him."

"Both of ours," I said, Zoltan walking to be next to Arion. "Son of Hades, nice to meet you. As my father's lieutenant and his son, it's my place to destroy this giant as well. Hazel Levesque, I shall stand by your side."

"Ah, little Hazel," Alcyoneus said, planting his staff on the ice. His hair glittered with millions of dollars' worth of gems. "Are you sure you will not join us of your own free will? You could be quite…precious to us. Why die again?"

"We all die," Zy said. "Better to fail in doing the right thing then succeed in doing the wrong." Hazel looked down to Frank, pulling out the wrapped-up piece of firewood from her coat pocket.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yeah," He said.

"You're my best friend, too, Frank. I should have told you that." She tossed him the stick. "Do what you have to. The rest of you…can you protect him?"

"It's our job," Audrey said.

"We won't fail you," Emily promised. Zy nodded. If she could break one of the chains, that meant that Frank had a better chance of surviving since he wouldn't have to burn as much of his life.

"Against a small army?" Percy asked, gazing at the ranks of ghostly Romans. "Sure, no problem." Hazel looked to me and I nodded.

"Then we've got Golden Boy," She said. I summoned my lance, and Hazel readied her spatha. Together on our steeds, we charged the giant.

* * *

First Person: Zyanya

Wondrous. Just wondrous. Percy, Emily and Audrey began to take on the army of shades, Hazel and Veon charged at the giant, their horses whinnying angrily as the giant bellowed, while Frank unwrapped the firewood, kneeling at the feet of Thanatos. Thanatos's capture resulted in an even greater weakening in my powers. How could I have not realized it? It's bad enough that my husband is out of commission, but someone so close to his realm being taken as well and practically throwing the world out of balance even  _further_ …Ugh, that explains why I've been so much weaker than predicted. I guess my ignorance of this fact and my inability to figure it out was also a result of my weakening. I'm so tired, and it's hard to even keep awake at the moment.

" ** _Will Frank survive breaking all four chains?_** " Lucy asked. Frank set his small firewood ablaze and began breaking the chains. He successfully snapped the first chain off, stabbing the firewood at the chain on Death's other leg. Percy and Audrey were fighting together like they'd done it all their lives, moving in a whirlwind dance, a miniature hurricane of water and ice vapor churning around them as they waded through the enemy, slashing with their weapons while also deflecting arrows and spears. They moved in a very graceful way striking, spinning, blocking, swinging their arms to have water and ice attack and shield, all without breaking concentration, straining and not even having to communicate.

They moved through the enemy ranks while Emily stood close to Frank and I, striking down any enemy that came close to us or shouting for them to try and go after Percy and Audrey, which was suicide, but they were happy with it. Granted, the enemy was completely focused on the two children of Poseidon anyway, and I saw they were going for the legion's eagle. They plowed through a line of legionnaires, scattering their shields with their personal cyclone. They knocked down the standard bearer and Percy grabbed the eagle.

"You want it back?!" He shouted in challenge.

"Come and get it!" Audrey agreed. The shades wanted to keep Thanatos chained, yeah, but they were  _Roman_  spirits, and their minds were fuzzy at best, so their primary objective was to protect their eagle. Thanks to the two of them working together so fluidly, the strain to holding together the cyclone was halved, and they would be able to hold out a while longer.

" ** _Not if he keeps zoning out like that!_** " I shouted.

"Frank!" We shouted to him.

"Watch your fire, boy," Thanatos warned. "You don't have any to waste." Frank cursed, realizing that he'd gotten distracted watching the scene unfold as well, missing the fact that the second chain had melted. He moved his fire to the shackles on the god's right hand. The piece of tinder was three quarters of the way gone now. It didn't take a goddess to see that he'd never be able to melt all four chains now. Frank started to shiver, feeling his life draining away. When the third chain snapped away, he moved to the final one, but his tinder was almost gone. I quickly shoved his firewood into the snow, extinguishing the flame. When I pulled it out again, it was no more than a stub, smaller than a candy bar.

"My turn," I said. I took a step back and held out my hand, my wing extending so that the end feathers touched the final chain. Channeling any energy I could, I pushed through my tired state and released a flame and endowed it with my power. Orange flames traveled along the length of my wing, touching the final chain holding Death's arm. I pushed it, feeling strained in my weakened state, but knowing that freeing Death would give me a little more clarity. I just needed to break one damn chain. This boy here was willing to give his life and managed to break three of them. I could do one chain, dammit! I was the Primordial Zyanya! The flames darkened to purple and then to black. A little further…but I was already straining myself, and at this rate, I'd burn up my own consciousness, not to mention the girl's and her body.

" ** _Let me help,_** " Lucy said, and suddenly I felt a surge of strength. The flames crackled like one of those poppers from the Fourth of July, and the flames snapped from black to white. The final chain holding Thanatos snapped, and I felt another surge of power, the first wearing off. But this wasn't the same at the first one. That was my host lending me her strength, but this one was my own power being restored, or boosted at the least. Death held some power of my husband, and he began to slightly restore the balance of his disappearance. I took a deep breath, suddenly empowered.

Percy and Audrey were at the end of the Via Principia, holding off the army of ghosts. They'd overturned the chariot and destroyed several buildings, but every time they threw off a wave of attackers in their hurricane, the ghosts simply got up and charged again. They slashed with their sword and dagger, but the ghosts reformed immediately. They had backed up almost as far as they could go, and Emily was shouting, distracting the army and was probably the only reason the three of them weren't backed to the edge of the glacier yet. As for Hazel and Veon, they were dancing around with Alcyoneus, who'd managed to destroy most of the barracks in their battle. Now they were fighting in the wreckage at the main gate. They were playing a dangerous game of tag, charging around while Alcyoneus swiped at them with his staff, knocking over walls and cleaving massive chasms in the ice. Veon and Zoltan were managing some hits, but they knew he couldn't be killed in Alaska.

"Free," Thanatos said with satisfaction, raising his arms.

"Great," Frank said, blinking at the spots that were in his eyes from nearly completely burning up. "Then do something!" Thanatos gave him a calm smile.

"Do something? Of course. I will watch. Those who die in this battle will stay dead. And my presence has already boosted the goddess's power."

"I'm going for the term Primordial," I said.

"Thanks," Frank muttered, slipping his firewood into his coat. "Very helpful."

"You're most welcome," Thanatos said agreeably. I snickered. He was pretty similar to my husband. Perhaps that's why his freedom has given me such a foothold.

"Percy! Audrey! They can die now!" They nodded in understanding, but Percy seemed worn out, and Audrey was now the only one keeping the hurricane going. The entire ghostly army had surrounded them, and Emily was only getting the attention of a few of them, and only for a few seconds at most. Frank drew his bow to help, but realized that normal arrows from a hunting store wouldn't do any good.

"No such thing as fair," He whispered to himself. "If I'm going to burn, it might as well be bright. I put my hand on his shoulder, and pushed my power into Frank.

"Frank Zhang, I grant you this gift. Concentrate and your power shall be unlocked." He took one step toward Percy and Audrey, but then, from across the camp, Hazel yelled in pain. Arion screamed as the giant got a lucky shot. His staff sent horse and rider tumbling over the ice, crashing into the ramparts.

"Hazel!" Frank and Veon shouted together. Veon moved to help her with Zoltan's speed, but he knew that no matter how fast he went to Hazel, the giant would be able to attack her and Arion. He needed to keep the thing's attention. He slashed and attacked with Zoltan throwing magic at it, but they were unable to assist Hazel.

"Frank, go help her!" I ordered. He nodded and ran to Hazel's aid. She was half-buried in a collapsed pile of snow-bricks, white Arion stood over her protectively. Alcyoneus raised his icy staff, aiming for Hazel and Arion, enduring Veon's attacks for a shot at them. But Frank had this covered. He concentrated, and suddenly his body began to shrink, becoming smaller and lighter. His arms stretched into wings, and his sight became a thousand times sharper. He had become an eagle. He soared upward, then dove at the unsuspecting giant with his talons extended, his razor-sharp claws raking across the giant's eyes. Alcyoneus bellowed in pain, staggering backwards as Frank landed in front of Hazel, returning to his normal form.

"Frank…" She stared at him in amazement, a cap of snow dripping off her head. "What just…? How did…?"

"Fool!" Alcyoneus shouted. His face was slashed, black oil dripping into his eyes instead of blood or ichor, but the wounds were already closing. "I am immortal in my homeland, Frank Zhang! Thanks to your friend Hazel, my new homeland is Alaska. You  _cannot_  kill me here!"

"We won't try!" I shouted before flying in. Hazel mounted her horse again, and I slammed my wing into the giant at top speed, sending him staggering back. "My hostess is strong; she fought Porphyrion even without my strength, Alcyoneus! And I am not alone. We need not destroy you here, we merely need to knock you out!" Frank charged in, transforming into a full blown grizzly bear, a thousand pounds of pure force. I joined in and slammed into the giant with my wing, the combined efforts sending him toppling over into an icy watchtower that collapsed on top of him. I brought down my wing, using it like a sword to slash away at the giant's chest. Frank sprang up to the giant's head, bashing at the giant's face back and forth until his metallic features began to dent. I jumped up and joined Frank, setting my wing ablaze with white fire that came so much easier now and slashed down at him as well, the heat only adding to the deadliness of the hits.

"Frank?" I asked. "Rope." He reverted to normal form and slipped off his backpack that was still with him, pulling out the rope he'd bought in Seaward and passing it to me. I tied it into a knot with the speed and accuracy worthy of Athena, creating a noose, and fastening it around the giant's scaly dragon foot, allowing two ropes to be available for use.

"Kill…uh…you…uh…" Alcyoneus muttered. I walked back up to his face and slammed my wing into his face like a shield, effectively knocking him out.

"Veon!" He rode down on Zoltan. "I'm powerful, but I'm gonna need a hand. Arion and Zoltan each take one of those ropes and pull while I take the other leg." I grabbed a legion shield off the ground and passed it to Frank. "Frank, be a dear and knock him out if he wakes up again, will you? We need to drag this guy inland as fast as possible."

"You…you were a bird…" Hazel was muttering. "Then a bear…and-"

"Explain later!" I ordered.

"B-But Percy and Audrey and-!" I looked over and saw through the ruins of the camp, the three of them backed against the edge of the cliff. The hurricane was gone. Percy held the legion eagle in one hand and Riptide in the other while Audrey and Emily both had their daggers drawn. The entire army of shades edged forward, their weapons bristling.

"Stay back!" Emily ordered. "You will not fight!" The army hesitated, buying us only a few seconds. If it were only Audrey and Percy, I'd be satisfied that they could handle themselves, but with Emily there…

"Audrey! Throw her!" I shouted. Audrey nodded, waving her free hand. Some of the ice beneath them melted to water that grabbed Emily like a giant baseball mitt before tossing her over the army of shades and giving her a soft and dry landing a good fifty feet away.

"Percy?" She asked. He nodded and then slammed Riptide into the ice at their feet. The entire glacier shuddered, ghosts falling to their knees. Behind the two of them, a wave surged up from the bay - a wall of gray water even taller than the glacier. Water shot from the chasms and crevices in the ice, and as the wave hit, the back half of the camp crumbled. The entire edge of the glacier peeled away, cascading into the void - carrying buildings, ghost, Percy Jackson and Audrey Mavepo over the edge. They'd be fine, they were the strongest children of the water god I'd ever seen in all my years.

"Frank!" Hazel was shouting as he stared in shock. I saw what she was worried about and slammed my wing into Alcyoneus's face again, and this time he actually began to snore. Meanwhile the glacier kept crumbling, the edge getting closer and closer, and Emily rushed over to us to avoid falling in. Thanatos glided toward us on his black wings, his expression serene. Ah, how I missed my husband. He'd always be like that, unconcerned even as terrible things happened around him. He must've been a bad influence on me.

"Ah, yes," He said with satisfaction. "There go some souls. Drowning, drowning. You'd best hurry, my friends, or you'll drown too."

"But Percy…and Audrey…" Frank managed to get out. "Are they…?"

"Too soon to tell. As for  _this_  one…" He looked down at Alcyoneus with distaste. "You'll never kill him here."

"I know," Veon said. "Not even a scrap of death in him, no chance of it while we're here."

"You know what to do?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Then our business is complete." Frank and Hazel exchanged nervous looks, while Veon and I shared smirks and Emily was smiling in excitement.

"Um…" Hazel faltered. "You mean you won't…you're not going to…"

"Claim your life? Well, let's see…" He pulled a pure-black iPad from thin air. He tapped the screen a few times, checking his E-mails from Hades/Pluto, no doubt. "I don't see you on the list," Thanatos said. "Pluto gives me specific orders for escaped souls, you see. For some reason he has not issued a warrant for yours. Zytaveon?" We looked to see him checking his own black iPad.

"Nope, I got nothing. Well, not nothing, but no Hazel Levesque."

"Perhaps he feels your life is not finished, or it could be an oversight. If you'd like me to call and ask-"

"No!" Hazel yelped. "That's okay."

"Are you sure?" Death asked helpfully. "I have video-conferencing enabled. I have his Skype address here somewhere…"

"Really, no," Hazel insisted, looking relieved. I smiled, knowing Death was just playing with her, because it's exactly what my husband would do. "Thank you."

"Ugh…" Alcyoneus mumbled. Veon kicked him in the head, not looking away from his tablet.

"You're job is hard, you know?" He said. "My gods, he's already got a list of souls he wants back ASAP, ones that have to be killed to be captured again. I'm still on a quest, you know?"

"You've done a passable job as my replacement. I don't expect much more from a mortal, even if you are Hades's son."

"What's that mean?!"

"It's a compliment, Ve," I said. "Just go with it before he takes it back."

"As for you, Frank Zhang," Thanatos continued. "It isn't your time either. You've got a little fuel left to burn. But don't think I'm doing either of you a favor. We will meet again under less pleasant circumstances." The cliff was still crumbling, the edge only twenty feet away now. Arion and Zoltan whinnied impatiently, the former a little more…vocal about telling us to get a move on.

"What about the Doors of Death?" Frank asked. "Where are they? How do we close them?"

"Ah, yes, the Doors of Me," Thanatos said, a look of irritation flickering across his face. "Closing them would be good, but I fear it is beyond my power. How  _you_  could do it, I haven't the faintest idea. I can't tell you exactly where they are. The location isn't…well, it's not entirely a  _physical_  place. They must be located through questing. I can tell you to start your search in Rome, the  _original_  Rome. You will need a special guide. Only one sort of demigod can read the signs that will ultimately lead you to the Doors of Me. Zytaveon should be useful in that aspect."

"Me? But I don't know how to find them!"

"You should be able to figure it out." Cracks appeared in the ice below our feet, and Hazel patted Arion's neck to keep him from bolting. Zoltan was calmer, but he did seem to be saying " _We need to go!_ "

"What about my brother?" Hazel asked. "Is Nico alive?" Thanatos gave her a look, seemingly trying at pity though he had a hard time understanding it.

"You will find the answer in Rome. And now I must fly south to your Camp Jupiter. I have a feeling there will be many souls to reap, very soon. Farewell, demigods, until we meet again." Thanatos dissipated into black smoke. The cracks widened beneath our feet.

"Hurry!" I ordered. "We've got about five to ten mile to go inland! Frank, Emily, on the giant and keep him asleep! Hazel, Veon, mount your steeds. Arion, Zoltan, grab those ropes and get ready to pull!" Everyone took their positions and I moved to grab the giant's other foot, extending my wing. "Go!" The horses and I took off, dragging the giant like the world's ugliest sled. We rode the glacier like a highway, zipping across the ice, leaping crevices, and skidding down slops that would've made a snowboarder's eyes light up. Frank didn't have to knock out Alcyoneus too many times, because the giant's head kept bouncing and hitting the ice. As we raced along, the half-conscious Golden Boy mumbled a tune that sounded like "Jingle Bells."

There wasn't any visual indication of when we crossed the border (it wasn't like there was a line and a sign saying " _Welcome to Canada!_ ") but even without my knowledge of the landscape, the signs were obvious on Alcyoneus. We zoomed between two mountains into a valley of ice and rocks, like a massive bowl of frozen milk with bits of Cocoa Puffs and the giant's golden skin paled as if it were turning to brass. Veon also seemed to sense his chance of death coming back without his immortality.

"Here!" I shouted. The two horses and I veered to the side, and their riders cut the rope, Alcyoneus skidding past. Frank and Emily leaped off just before the giant slammed into a boulder. Immediately Alcyoneus jumped to his feet.

"What? Who? Where?" His nose was bent in an odd direction and his wounds had healed, though his golden skin had lost some of its luster. He looked around for his iron staff, which was still back at Hubbard Glacier. Then he gave up and pounded the nearest boulder to pieces with his fist. "You  _dare_  take me for a sleigh ride?!" He tensed and sniffed the air. "That smell…like snuffed-out souls. Thanatos is free, eh? Bah! It doesn't matter. Gaea still controls the Doors of Death. Now, why have you brought me here?"

"To kill you," Frank said simply.

"Next question?" I asked smiling. The giant's eyes narrowed.

"I've never known a child of Mars who can change his form, but that doesn't mean you can defeat me. Do you think your stupid soldier father gave you the strength to face me in one-on-one combat?" Hazel drew her sword.

"How about two-on-one?"

"Or five-one-one," Veon suggested as we walked up to join them. The giant growled and charged, but Veon pulled Emily onto Zoltan behind him and I grabbed Frank before the horses and I nimbly darted out of the way. Hazel and Veon slashed their swords across the back of the giant's calves, black oil sprouting from the wounds and the giant stumbled.

"You can't kill me, Thanatos or no!" Hazel and Veon made grabbing gestures with their free hands and pulled like there was a rope, and an invisible force yanked the giant's jewel-encrusted hair backward. The two of them went charging in again, slashing at his legs once more and then racing away before he could regain his balance.

"Stop that!" Alcyoneus shouted. "This is Alaska. I am immortal in my homeland!"

"News flash!" I shouted. "Bad news, bud."

"See, I got more from my dad than strength," Frank said. The giant snarled.

"What are you talking about, war brat?"

"Tactics. That's my gift from Mars. A battle can be won before it's ever fought by choosing the right ground." I pointed over my shoulder.

"We crossed the border a few hundred yards back. You're not in Alaska anymore. Can you feel it, Al? You want to get to Alaska? You'll have to go through us." Slowly, understanding dawned in the giant's eyes. He looked down incredulously at his wounded legs, oil still pouring from his calves and turning the ice black.

"Impossible!" The giant bellowed. "I'll…I'll…GAH!" He charged at us, determined to reach the international boundary. I could see Frank begin to doubt himself and his plan for a moment.

"Frank, how much time did you spend with Hannibal back at camp?" I asked. Realization struck him and he smiled. Just before the giant smashed into us, Frank charged. His body swelled to massive size, his skin thickened, his arms changed to stout front legs, his mouth grew tusks and his nose elongated. He became the animal he knew best - the one he'd cared for, fed, bathed, and even gave indigestion to at Camp Jupiter. Alcyoneus slammed into a full-grown-ten-ton elephant. The giant staggered sideways. He screamed in frustration and slammed into Frank again, but Alcyoneus was completely out of his weight division despite him being such a large giant. I flew in and slammed him with my wing so hard he flew backwards and landed spread-eagled on the ice. I landed atop him so he could see me, the feathers of my wing hardening and sharpening as I stuck the end of the wing towards his neck like a sword.

"I think we're done here, don't you?" The giant's oily wounds were steaming, the gems fell out of his hair and sizzled in the snow, and his golden skin began to corrode, breaking into chunks.

"You…can't…kill me," Alcyoneus growled. "You can't…" Frank reverted, and the others dismounted, joining me.

"Here's a tip, Alcyoneus," Veon said. "Next time you choose the biggest state for your home, don't set up base in the part that's only ten miles wide. Welcome to Canada, idiot." He stabbed his lance into the giant's chest, while Hazel's sword came down on the giant's neck. My wing began to glow, and then we swung it down upon the giant with rumbling force. Alcyoneus exploded into a pile of very expensive rocks. I wrapped my wing around me again.

"Well, that's done." For a while we stood there, watching the remains of the giant melt into the ice. Frank picked up his rope.

"An elephant?" Hazel asked. Frank scratched his neck.

"Yeah. It seemed like a good idea." He looked pretty nervous, trying to gauge her reaction, and no doubt was assuming the worse. Emily smiled and I knew Hazel wasn't thinking of him as weird, especially not after everything on this quest. She kissed him - a real kiss on the lips, not like the kind of kiss she'd given Percy on the airplane.

"You are amazing," She said. "And you make a very handsome elephant." Frank looked flustered and confused. Took those two long enough. Honestly, humans can be so ignorant when it comes to love.

" _You haven't won_ ," A voice echoed across the valley. I looked up and saw shadows were shifting across the nearest mountain, forming the face of a sleeping woman. " _You will never reach home in time. Even now, Thanatos is attending the death of Camp Jupiter, the final destruction of your Roman friends._ " The mountain rumbled as if the whole earth were laughing, before the shadows disappeared. We looked to each other and didn't say a word. They mounted their horses and we sped back toward Glacier Bay.

Percy and Audrey were waiting for us, talking like they were blaming each other for the camp's destruction and considering how to rebuild it. They stood at the edge of the glacier, Percy leaning on the staff with the golden eagle and Audrey on her sword. The two of them were looking down at the wreckage they'd caused: several hundred acres of newly open water dotted with icebergs and flotsam from the ruined camp. The only remains on the glacier were the main gates, which listen sideways, and a tattered blue banner lying over a pile of snow-bricks.

"So Frank got the power from his great-times-a-million grandfather," Audrey was saying. "It's that simple." We ran up to them and they nodded in acknowledgement.

"Hey," Percy said, like we were just meeting for lunch or something.

"You're alive!" Frank marveled. Percy frowned.

"The fall? That was nothing. I fell twice that far from the St. Louis Arch."

"Come on, Frank, even  _I_  wasn't worried about that drop," Audrey said. "I had to train in Niagara Falls once. First thing that happened was I fell down the entire length of the falls. Second thing was I had to climb my way back up."

"Wait, you did  _what?_ " Hazel asked.

"Nevermind. The important thing is, we didn't drown."

"So the prophecy  _was_  incomplete!" Hazel said grinning. "It probably said something like:  _The son of Neptune will drown a whole bunch of ghosts._ "

"Well, more sophisticated grammar, but it's possible," I said. Percy was looking at Frank like he was miffed.

"I got a bone to pick with you, Zhang. You can turn into an eagle? And a bear?"

"And an elephant," Hazel added proudly.

"An elephant." Percy shook his head in disbelief. "That's your family gift? You can change shape?" Frank shuffled his feet.

"Um…yeah. Periclymenus, my ancestor, the Argonaut - he could do that. He passed down the ability."

"And he got the gift from Poseidon. This is completely unfair. I can't turn into animals  _or_  water."

"Well, if we just jump-scare him bad enough, maybe he'll turn to water," Veon suggested.

"Unfair?" Frank asked. "You can breathe underwater and blow up glaciers and summon freaking hurricanes…and it's unfair that I can be an elephant?" Percy considered.

"Okay. I guess you got a point. But next time I say you're totally  _beast-_ "

"Just shut up. Please." Percy cracked a smile.

"If you guys are done, we need to go," I said. "Camp Jupiter is under attack, and they could use that gold eagle." Percy nodded.

"One thing first, though. There's about a ton of Imperial gold weapons and armor at the bottom of the bay now, plus a really nice chariot. I'm betting that stuff could come in handy."

"True. Hazel and Veon, grab all you can from here. Percy and Audrey swim down and grab some more. Frank, let me teach you how to transform into a seal." They followed my orders, and Frank was able to transform much easier now when I gave him enough information about a seal. I transformed much easier now as well with Death free and restoring a bit of balance, so I was able to summon a second wing and use it under the water.

It took a lot more time than I would've preferred, but I knew that these weapons would come in handy. I took care of the chariot, and with all of us working together (with Emily as moral support), we still finished in a decent amount of time. We managed to haul everything ashore to a black sand beach near the base of the glacier. We couldn't fit everything in the chariot, but we used Frank's rope to strap down most of the gold weapons and the best pieces of armor.

"It looks like Santa's sleigh," Frank said. "Can Arion even pull that much?" Arion huffed.

"Hazel, I am seriously going to wash your horse's mouth with soap," Percy said.

"He says it's Zoltan's turn," Audrey translated. "But yeah, he can pull it." Zoltan made a comment. "Oh, and they're hungry. If you want them to make it back at top speed, they're gonna need food." I looked through the weapons, pulling out a solid Imperial gold sword that was bent and dull, so it wouldn't be very useful in battle, passing it to Veon. I pulled out another that was in a similar state and then gave it to Hazel.

"There you go. High-performance fuel." The two horses took the weapons in their teeth and chewed them like apples. Let it be known that you should never put your hand near those horses' mouths.

"I'm not doubting Zoltan's strength, but will the chariot hold up?" Frank asked carefully. "The last one-"

"This one has Imperial gold wheels and axle," I said. "It should hold."

"If not, this is going to be a short trip, but we're out of time," Hazel said. "Come on!" Veon mounted Zoltan and Hazel hopped on Arion while the others climbed into the chariot. "Giddyup!" The horses' sonic booms echoed across the bay. We sped south, avalanches tumbling down the mountains as we passed.


	29. Fight for Camp Jupiter

First Person: Audrey

Well, that was fun. Once again we have two battles to fight, and two giants to fight. Now came the enemy of Poseidon. Hurray. Only problem? It took four freaking hours for the fastest horses in the world to make it from Alaska to San Francisco Bay, heading straight over the water down the Northwest Coast. Apparently Percy's memory was fully restoring as well, and he was prepared to give Hera (or Juno) a goddess-sized slap up the head for taking away eight months of his life. On the bright side, now I could officially meet my half-brother.

The coastline finally began to look familiar as we raced past the Mendocino lighthouse. Shortly afterward, Mount Tam and Marin headlands loomed out of the fog. Arion and Zoltan shot straight under the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco Bay. We tore through Berkeley and into the Oakland Hills. When we reached the hilltop above the Caldecott Tunnel, Arion and Zoltan shuddered like a broken car and came to a stop, breathing heavily.

"You did great, Zoltan," Veon said, patting his side appreciatively. Even Arion was wiped out, and he hadn't been pulling a chariot with tons of weapons and four demigods - not to mention his rider.

" _Of course I did great,_ " Zoltan said. " _What did you expect? Now get the heck off and do whatever it is you do._ " We hopped off the chariot and Veon moved to free Zoltan. There hadn't exactly been comfortable seats or an in-flight meal, so my legs were stiff and I felt tired just from enduring moving at supersonic speed for four freaking hours. Frank and Percy didn't seem much better. Frank hobbled to the top of the hill and peered down at the camp.

"Guys…you need to see this." When we joined him, I saw that the battle had begun, and it wasn't going well. The Twelfth Legion was arrayed on the Field of Mars, trying to protect the city. Scorpions fired into the ranks of the Earthborn, Hannibal the elephant plowed down monsters right and left, but the defenders were badly outnumbered. On her pegasus Scipio, Reyna flew around the giant Polybotes, trying to keep him occupied. The Lares had formed shimmering purple lines against a mob of black, vaporous shades in ancient armor. Veteran demigods from the city had joined the battle, and were pushing their shield wall against an onslaught of wild centaurs. Giant eagles circled the battlefield, doing aerial combat with two snake-haired ladies in green Bargain Mart vests - Stheno and Euryale. The legion itself was taking the brunt of the attack, but their formation was breaking. Each cohort was an island in a sea of enemies. The Cyclopes' siege tower shot glowing green cannonballs into the city, blasting craters in the forum, reducing houses to ruins. As we watched, a cannonball hit the Senate House and the dome partially collapsed.

"We're too late," Hazel said.

"No we're not," Zy said. "Give me the legion eagle." She grabbed it and took flight. "See you all down there. The troops need moral support and those weapons get them down there as soon as possible." With that, she flew off towards the fight and help up the legion's eagle. " _Senatus Populusque Romanus!_  Camp Jupiter shall not fall today!"

"Where's Lupa?" Frank asked. "She and the wolves…they should be here." I thought about my time with the wolf goddess. Wolves had limits. They weren't front-line fighters. They only attacked when they had vastly superior numbers, and usually under the cover of darkness. Besides, Lupa's first rule was self-sufficiency. She would help her children as much as she could, train them to fight - but in the end, they were either predator or prey. Romans had to fight for themselves. They had to prove their worth or die. That was Lupa's way.

"She did what she could," Percy said. "She slowed down an army on its way south. Now it's up to us. We've got to get these weapons to the legion."

"But Arion and Zoltan are out of steam!" Hazel said. "We can't haul this stuff ourselves."

"Maybe we don't have to," I said. I whistled as loud as I could - a good New York cab whistle that would've been heard all the way from Times Square to Central Park. Worthy of Apollo's descendants. Shadows rippled in the trees, and a huge black shape bounded out of nowhere - a mastiff the size of an SUV, with a Cyclops and a harpy on her back.

"Hellhound!" Frank shouted, scrambling backwards.

"Hey Mrs. O'Leary!" Emily called, running up.

"They're friends," Percy said, grinning.

"Brother! Sister!" Tyson called, climbing off and running toward Percy and I. We tried to brace ourselves, but it was no good. Tyson slammed into us and smothered us in a hug. For a second, all I could see were back spots and lots of flannel. They Tyson let go and laughed with delight, looking Percy over with that massive baby brown eye.

"You are not dead!" He said. "I like it when you are not dead!" Ella fluttered to the ground and began preening her feathers.

"Ella found a dog," She announced. "A large dog. And a Cyclops." Was she blushing?

"Aw," Emily said. I guess she was. Suddenly Mrs. O'Leary pounced on Percy, knocking him to the ground and barking so loudly even Arion backed up.

"Hey, Mrs. O'Leary," Percy said. "Yeah, I love you too, girl. Good dog."

"How ya been, you old hellhound?" Veon asked, petting her. Hazel made a squeaking sound.

"You have a hellhound named Mrs. O'Leary?"

"Long story," Percy said, managing to get to his feet and wiping off the dog slobber. "You can ask your brother…" His voice wavered when he saw Hazel's expression. I almost forgot that Nico di Angelo was missing. He wasn't my best friend or anything, but I liked the kid (in a friendly way, mind you) and I could tell Veon was shaken up considering he and Nico had soul-bonded or whatever before.

"Sorry," Percy said. "But yeah, this is my dog, Mrs. O'Leary. Tyson, these are my friends, Frank and Hazel." Percy turned to Ella, who was counting all the barbs in one of her feathers. "Are you okay? We were worried about you."

"Ella is not strong. Cyclopes are strong. Tyson found Ella. Tyson took care of Ella." Aw, she was  _definitely_ blushing.

"Tyson, you big charmer, you," Emily said. Tyson turned the same color as Ella's plumage.

"Um…no." He leaned down and whispered nervously, loud enough for all the others to hear: "She is pretty." Frank tapped his head like he was afraid his brain had short-circuited.

"Anyway, there's this battle happening…" I looked over to said battle to see that Zy was barreling through enemy troops, and half the legion was standing in shock, not to mention half the monster army as well.

"Right," Percy agreed. "Tyson, where's Annabeth? Is any other help coming?" Tyson pouted, his big brown eye getting misty.

"The big ship is not ready. Leo says tomorrow, maybe two days. Then they will come."

"We don't have two  _minutes_ ," Percy said. "Okay, here's the plan." As quickly as possible, he pointed out which were the good guys and the bad guys on the battle field. Tyson was alarmed to learn that bad Cyclopes and bad centaurs were in the giant's army.

"I have to hit pony-men?"

"Just scare them away," Emily promised.

"Um, Percy?" Frank asked, looking at Tyson with trepidation. "I just…I don't want our friend here getting hurt. Is Tyson a fighter?" I smiled.

"Is he a fighter? Frank, you're looking at General Tyson of the Cyclops army. And by the way, Tyson, Frank is a descendant of Poseidon."

"Brother!" Tyson crushed Frank in a hug. Percy stifled a laugh.

"Actually, he's more like a great-great…oh, nevermind. Yeah, he's your brother."

"Thanks," Frank mumbled through a mouthful of flannel. "But if the legion mistakes Tyson for an enemy-"

"I've got it!" Hazel shouted, running to the chariot and digging out the biggest Roman helmet she could find, plus an old Roman banner embroidered with SPQR. She handed them to Tyson. "Put those on, big guy. Then our friends will know you're on our team."

"Yay!" Tyson said. "I'm on your team!" The helmet was ridiculously small, and he put the cape on backward, like an SPQR baby bib.

"It'll do," Veon said. "Ella, just stay here. Stay safe."

"Safe," Ella repeated. "Ella likes being safe. Safety in numbers. Safety deposit boxes. Ella will go with Tyson."

"What? Oh…fine. Whatever. Just don't get hurt. And Mrs. O'Leary-"

"ROOOF!"

"How do you feel about pulling a chariot?"

We must've looked like the weirdest reinforcements in Roman military history. Hazel rode Arion, Veon rode Zoltan, who had recovered enough to carry one person at normal horse speed, though Arion cursed about his aching hooves all the way downhill and Zoltan sometimes grunted. Frank transformed into a bald eagle - something that Percy still seemed to find unfair - and soared above them. Tyson ran down the hill, waving his club and yelling, "Bad pony-men! BOO!" while Ella fluttered around him, reciting facts from the  _Old Farmer's Almanac_. Percy and Emily were riding Mrs. O'Leary into battle with a chariot full of Imperial gold equipment clanking and clinking behind, while I was riding on my surfboard of water that acted like a hover board under my powers.

We skirted the perimeter of the camp and took the northernmost bridge over the Little Tiber, charging onto the Field of Mars at the western edge of the battle. A horde of Cyclopes was hammering away at the Fifth Cohort, who were trying to keep their shields locked just to stay alive. Seeing them in trouble made me surge with anger. These were the kids who'd take us in, the kids who had been treated unfairly for years. They were as much of a family as any demigod back at Camp Half-Blood.

"Fifth Cohort!" Percy shouted and slammed the nearest Cyclops. The last things the poor monster saw were Mrs. O'Leary's teeth. I surfed over the Cyclopes, smacking through their forces with my water. Thankfully, for the first time in months, the monsters stayed disintegrated when they turned to dust. Tyson charged at the Cyclops leader, Ma Gasket, her chain-mail dress spattered with mud and decorated with broken spears.

"Hello, Ma Gasket!" I called as I charged beside Tyson. "Long time, no see!" I turned my surfboard to ice before slamming it into her and causing her to stagger back. The ice shattered from the impact, but I willed it to turn back to water and reform into a surfboard beneath me.

"Who is-?" She began, gawking at Tyson before he hit her in the head so hard, she spun in a circle and landed on her rump.

"Bad Cyclops Lady!" He bellowed. "General Tyson says GO AWAY!" He hit her again, and Ma Gasket broke into dust. I turned my attention back to the other Cyclopes, joining the others. Hazel and Veon were charging around on their steeds, slicing their swords through one Cyclops after another, while Frank blinded the enemies with their talons and Emily began singing as loud as she could, dazing the enemies so they were sitting ducks. I joined in slashing away at our enemies and barreling through them. Once every Cyclops within fifty yards had been reduced to ashes, Frank landed in front of the troops and transformed into a human. His centurion's badge and Mural Crown gleamed on his winter jacket.

"Fifth Cohort!" He bellowed. "Get your Imperial gold weapons right here!" The campers were still staring in shock.

"Well come on!" Emily shouted. Suddenly the campers recovered from their shock and mobbed the chariot. I used my water to work like tentacles and handed out equipment as fast as I could.

"Let's go, let's go!" Dakota urged, grinning like a madman as he swigged red Kool-Aid from his flask. "Our comrades need help!" Soon the Fifth Cohort was equipped with new weapons, shields and helmets. They weren't exactly consistent; in fact, they looked like they'd been shopping at a King Midas clearance sale, but they were suddenly the most powerful cohort in the legion.

"Follow the eagle!" Veon shouted, pointing to Zy who was still slashing away at the ranks of monsters with the eagle in one hand. Luckily her wings provided another two weapons for her, and her arms weren't even needed. She saw us and hovered in the air, holding aloft the eagle. The campers cheered, and Percy led the charge on Mrs. O'Leary while the rest of us followed - forty plus extremely shiny gold-plated warriors screaming for blood. We slammed into a herd of wild centaurs that were attacking the Third Cohort. Zy flew over to join us, and when the campers of the Third saw the eagle, they shouted insanely and fought with renewed effort. Everyone who saw the eagle seemed to be fighting with new strength, and the monsters were falling back. The centaurs didn't stand a chance, the two cohorts crushing them like a vice. Soon there was nothing left but piles of dust and assorted hooves and horns. Hopefully Chiron would forgive us, but these weren't the Party Ponies we'd met before. They were some other breed, and they had to be defeated.

"Form ranks!" Veon shouted. The two cohorts came together, their military training kicking in. Shields locked, they marched into battle against the Earthborn.

" _Pila!_ " Zy ordered. A hundred spears bristled.

"Fire!" Frank shouted. The spears sailed through the air - a wave of death cutting through the six-armed monsters. The campers drew swords and advanced toward the center of the battle. At the base of the aqueduct, the First and Second Cohorts were trying to encircle Polybotes, but they were taking a pounding. The remaining Earthborn threw barrage after barrage of stone and mud. Karpoi grain spirits were rushing through the tall grass, abducting campers at random, pulling them away from the line. The giant himself kept shaking his basilisks out of his hair. Every time one landed, the Romans panicked and ran. Judging from their corroded shields and the smoking plumes on their helmets, they had already learned about the basilisks' poison and fire.

Reyna soared above the giant, diving in with her javelin whenever he turned his attention to the ground troops. Her purple cloak snapped in the wind, her golden armor gleamed. Polybotes jabbed his trident and swung his weighted net, but Scipio was almost as nimble as Arion. Then Reyna noticed the Fifth Cohort marching to their aid with the eagle. She was so stunned, the giant almost swatted her out of the air, but Scipio dodged. She gave us a huge smile.

"Romans!" She shouted, her voice booming across the fields. "Rally to the eagle!" Zy flew high and demigods and monsters alike turned and gawked.

"What is this?" Polybotes demanded. " _What is this?!_ " She raised the eagle.

"Twelfth Legion Fulminata!" Thunder shook the valley, the eagle let loose a blinding flash, and a thousand tendrils of lightning exploded from its golden wings - arcing in front of her like the branches of an enormous deadly tree, connecting with the nearest monsters, leaping from one to another, completely ignoring the Roman forces. She'd done that technique before on her own, but never to such a powerful extent. When the lightning stopped, the First and Second Cohorts were facing one surprised-looking giant and several hundred smoking piles of ash. The enemy's center line had been charred to oblivion. The look on Octavian's face was priceless. The centurion stared with shock, then outrage, but when his own troops started to cheer, he had no choice but to join in.

"Rome! Rome!" The giant Polybotes backed up uncertainly, but I knew the battle wasn't over. The Fourth Cohort was still surrounded by Cyclopes, and even Hannibal the elephant was having a hard time wading through so many monsters. His black Kevlar armor was ripped so that his label just said  **ANT**. The veterans and Lares on the eastern flank were being pushed toward the city. The monster's siege tower was still hurling explosive free fireballs into the streets. The gorgons had disabled the giant eagles and now flew unchallenged over the giant's remaining centaurs and Earthborn, trying to rally them.

"Stand your ground!" Stheno yelled. "I've got free samples!" Zy came and flew down to us, both of her wings wrapping around her, but leaving her forearms and hands exposed so she could still hold the eagle.

"Veon, Emily, you help them with protecting city. Percy, Audrey, you and I will tango with the giant." She passed Dakota the standard. "You are the cohort's senior centurion. Take care of this." Dakota blinked and then straightened with pride. He dropped his Kool-Aid flask and took the eagle.

"I will carry it with honor, My Lady." She nodded.

"Frank, Hazel, Tyson, you assist the Fourth Cohort as well. We've got a giant to kill." Percy nodded and raised Riptide, while I drew my dagger. "Wait, Audrey, I have something I've been meaning to give you." Before she could elaborate, horns blew in the northern hills. Another army appeared on the ridge - hundreds of warriors in black-and-gray camouflage, armed with spears and shields. Interspersed among their ranks were a dozen battle forklifts, their sharpened tines gleaming in the sunset, and flaming bolts nocked in their crossbows.

"Amazons," Frank said. "Great." Polybotes laughed.

"You see? Our reinforcements have arrived! Rome will fall today!"

"Don't be so sure, Polybotes," Zy said. The Amazons lowered their spears and charged down the hill. Their forklifts barreled into battle. The giant's army cheered…at least until the Amazons changed course and headed straight for the monsters' intact eastern flank.

"Amazons forward!" On the largest forklift stood a girl who looked like an older version of Reyna, in black combat armor with a glittering gold belt around her waist.

"Queen Hylla!" Hazel shouted in excitement. "She survived!"

"Was there ever any doubt?" Veon asked, looking on the verge of laughing in joy.

"Well, yes," Emily said. "But she did it!"

"To my sister's aid!" The Amazon queen shouted. "Destroy the monsters!"

"Destroy!" Her troops' cry echoed throughout the valley. Reyna wheeled her pegasus toward us, her eyes gleaming and her expression saying " _I could hug you right now!_ "

"Romans! Advance!" She shouted. The battlefield descended into absolute chaos. Amazon and Roman lines swung toward the enemy like the Doors of Death themselves.

"Em?" Veon asked. She nodded and mounted Zoltan behind him. The two of them, Hazel and Frank ran off to join the battle, while Percy and I nodded to each other and faced the giant. We met by the aqueduct, which had somehow survived the battle so far. Polybotes fixed that. He swiped his trident and smashed the nearest brick arch, unleashing a waterfall.

"Go on, then, children of Neptune!" Polybotes taunted. "Let me see your power! Does water do your bidding? Does it heal you? But I am born to oppose Neptune." The giant thrust his hand under the water. As the torrent passed through his fingers, it turned dark green. He flung some at us, and Percy instinctively deflected it with his will. The liquid splattered the ground in front of us, and with a nasty hiss, the grass withered and smoked. "My touch turns water to poison. Let's see what it does to your blood!" He threw his net, but the two of us easily dodged out of the way, Percy rolling, while I slid across the ground, the bottom of my feet turning to water so that I was my own hover board (or hover shoes, I guess), allowing me speed and mobility to go basically anywhere.

Percy diverted the waterfall straight into the giant's face, and while he was blinded, the two of us charged. Percy plunged Riptide into the giant's belly while I slashed across his chest before both of us withdrew and vaulted away, leaving the giant roaring in pain. The strikes would have dissolved any lesser monster, but Polybotes just staggered and looked down at the golden ichor spilling from his wounds. The cuts were already closing.

"Does Zyanya count as a god?" Percy asked me.

"Don't know. Last time we faced a giant, we had Hera's help to scare him off, and the time before that, Zeus's."

"How'd you manage that?"

"Long story. If we need a god to help us, and we aren't sure about her, then I suggest Terminus. He's the god of boundaries, right?" Percy thought about it and I could see when the realization hit him. "I'll distract him. You get to Terminus and convince him to help. He's a statue, but there's got to be some way for him to help us."

"Nice try, demigods," Polybotes snarled. "But I will break you still."

"Gotta catch us first," Percy said. We turned and bolted towards the city, me basically skating alongside Percy.

"What?!" The giant yelled incredulously. "You run, coward? Stand still and die!"

"No thanks, Polybolts!" I shouted. "You wanna destroy us? We might as well have our fun! Come and get us you overgrown lizard-man!" We passed Mrs. O'Leary, who looked up curiously with a gorgon wriggling in her mouth.

"We're fine!" Percy yelled as we ran by, followed by a giant screaming bloody murder. We jumped over a burning scorpion and ducked as Hannibal threw a Cyclops across our path.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Veon flying around with his lance, striking everything around him while laughing, having a little too much fun. He mostly attacked physically, but sometimes he flew through a crowd turning everything that he touched into dust, though not bothering with any of his other powers. Zoltan was running around, smashing enemies, teleporting around the battle field, exploding with magical energy that made the ground shake, and doing so many things it was near impossible to keep track of him. Emily was shouting for the enemy to look behind them or singing them into a daze (good thing she was a choir singer) and was even doing some Phantom of the Opera. Tyson was pounding the Earthborn into the ground like a game of whack-a-mole, Ella fluttering above him and calling out advice: "The groin! The Earthborn's groin is sensitive." SMASH! "Good. Yes. Tyson found its groin."

"Percy and Audrey needs help?" Tyson called.

"We're good!" I called.

"Die!" Polybotes yelled, closing in fast. I grabbed Percy, summoning some water beneath his feet so that he glided along beside me and our speed doubled.

In the distance, I saw Hazel and Arion galloping across the battlefield, cutting down centaurs and karpoi. One grain spirit yelled, "Wheat! I'll give you wheat!" but Arion stomped him into a pile of breakfast cereal. Queen Hylla and Reyna joined forces, forklift and pegasus riding together, scattering the dark shades of fallen warriors. Frank turned himself into an elephant and stomped through some Cyclopes, and Dakota held the golden eagle high, blasting lightning at any monsters that dared challenge the Fifth Cohort. I didn't see Zy within my immediate vision, and I had to concentrate on where we were going to avoid the giant who was closing in.

"I'll buy you some time," I said. "Go!" I tossed his forward and he slid like he was on ice toward the city limits. I ducked behind one of the aqueduct's columns, and the giant swung his trident. When the column crumbled, I used the unleashed water to guide the collapse, bringing down several tons of bricks on the giant's head. The water from the aqueducts was pouring over him, turning to poison and creating a steaming marsh around his feet. I felt the poison change to water, but oddly enough I felt that I could still control it. I waved my arms like I was dancing and the poison began to form a wave, striking the giant back and forth and slapping him with enough force to cause him to stagger back in either direction.

"I don't care!" Terminus was shouting. "Rules are rules. When people don't follow the rules, I get very,  _very_ angry."

"Audrey?!" Percy called. "You hear that?! No weapons inside the city limits!" I nodded and let up my stream of poison.

"Hey ugly!" I shouted. "What? Can't take on little old me?! Ha! You just got beaten senseless by a little mortal girl!" I laughed and ran over to Percy and Terminus.

"You…you will die slowly," Polybotes promised. He picked up his trident, now dripping with green venom. All around us, the battle was winding down. As the last monsters were mopped up, our friends started forming a ring around the giant.

"Audrey Mavepo!" We looked to see Zyanya hovering above the Little Tiber. "I grant you this gift!" She held her arms out and the water began to flow together into a pole-shape. It began to extend in either direction as more and more water was gathered. It shouldn't have been possible for that much water to disappear into the size of the rod, but I didn't question things when it came to her anymore. The pole continued extending until it ended on one side, whereas the other…it formed the three prongs of a trident. With a small flash, the water solidified into a solid metal, a shimmering blue-green color that radiated power similar to Veon's lance, but it felt so much nicer, the aura seeming to draw me in. She grabbed the weapon by its shaft and then chucked it in my direction like a javelin.

I held my hand up and it flew right above me and into my palm. I instantly felt invigorated from just touching the weapon. Was this how Veon's lance felt when he first got it? I felt like I'd just jumped in a pool, that rush of power and adrenaline surging through me. I knew exactly how to use this weapon, and knew this weapon wanted to work with me. Oh, this was officially the best present ever (making up for all those times Lucy had neglected to get me a birthday present).

"I will take you prisoner, Audrey Mavepo, Percy Jackson," Polybotes snarled. "I will torture you under the sea. Every day the water will heal you, and every day I will bring you closer to death."

"Great offer, but I think we'll just kill you instead," I said. Polybotes bellowed in rage. He shook his head and more basilisks flew from his hair.

"Frank!" Veon shouted.

"Get back!" Frank warned. Fresh chaos spread through the ranks. Frank changed form - shrinking into something lean and furry…a weasel? Oh, right. Iris said that weasels were deadly to basilisks, didn't she? When Frank charged the basilisks, they absolutely freaked out, slithering away with Frank chasing after them in hot weasel-y pursuit.

"Come and get it, Poly-boats!" I called. Yeah, it was hard to come up with an insulting nickname like Porcupine or Enchiladas with Alcyoneus and Polybotes. I'd have to consult Leo when he arrived. Polybotes pointed his trident and charged towards us. As the giant reached the Pomerian Line, Percy and I jumped to either side like a couple of bullfighters, and Polybotes barreled across the city limits.

"THAT'S IT!" Terminus cried. "That's AGAINST THE RULES!" Polybotes frowned, obviously confused that he was being told off by a statue.

"What are you?" He growled. "Shut up!" He pushed the statue over and turned to Percy and I who had regrouped behind him.

"Now I'm MAD!" Terminus shrieked. "I'm strangling you. Feel that? Those are my hands around your neck, you big bully. Get over here! I'm going to head-butt you so hard-"

"Enough!" The giant stepped on the stature and broke Terminus into three pieces - pedestal, body, and head.

"You DIDN'T!" Terminus shouted. "Percy Jackson, you've got yourself a deal! Let's kill this upstart." The giant laughed so hard that he didn't realize I was charging until it was too late. I jumped up, my new trident making me feel weightless, and I drove the trident straight through one of the metal mouths on Polybotes's breastplate, sinking the weapon in until it was halfway down the shaft where my hands were. The giant stumbled backward, tripping over Terminus's pedestal and crashing to the ground. I summoned my water to act as a barrier of water tentacles that held off the giant's hands as he clawed at me to try and remove the trident. While I held him off, Percy hefted the head of Terminus's statue and jumped up to me, protected by my water barrier from Polybotes's retaliation.

"You'll never win!" The giant groaned. "You cannot defeat me alone."

"We're not alone," Percy said, raising the stone head above the giant's face. "I'd like you to meet my friend Terminus. He's a god!" Too late, awareness and fear dawned in the giant's face. Percy smashed the god's head as hard as he could into Polybotes's nose, and the giant dissolved, crumbling into a steaming heap of seaweed, reptile skin, and poisonous muck. I summoned my water to hover us over the remains of the giant and set us down on the ground safely.

"Ha!" Said the head of Terminus. "That will teach  _him_  to obey the rules of Rome!" For a moment, the battlefield was silent except for a few fires burning, and a few retreating monsters screaming in panic, which were then shot down by Zy with a few gunshots. After that, there was silence. A ragged circle of Romans and Amazons stood around us. Tyson, Ella and Mrs. O'Leary were there, Frank, Hazel, Emily and Veon grinning at us with pride and Zy sheathing her guns in the back of her belt with her wings wrapping around her again. Arion was nibbling contentedly on a golden shield when Zoltan shoved him slightly and made him stop.

Then the Romans began to chant our names and mobbed us. Before we knew it, they were raising us on shields and the cry changed to "Praetor! Praetor!" I joined in, signaling that they were referring to Percy (since no way was I going to be a praetor. No offense to Reyna or Jason, but I'm no leader. Besides, there were only two praetors allowed anyway). Among the chanters was Reyna herself, who held up her hand and grasped Percy's in congratulation. Then the mob of cheering Romans carried us around the Pomerian Line, carefully avoiding Terminus's borders, and escorted us back home to Camp Jupiter.


	30. Celebrations

First Person: Emily

The Feast of Fortuna had nothing to do with tuna, which was fine by me. Capers, Amazons and Lares crowded the mess hall for a lavish dinner. Even the fauns were invited, since they'd helped out by bandaging the wounded for after the battle. Zy and I had sung to both heal and calm the people, so almost everyone was in top form. Wind nymphs zipped around the room, delivering orders of pizza, burgers, steaks, salads, Chinese food, and burritos, all flying at terminal velocity. Despite the exhausting battle, everyone was in good spirits. Casualties had been light, and the few campers who'd previously died and come back to life, like Gwen, hadn't been taken to the Underworld. Maybe Thanatos had turned a blind eye, or maybe Pluto had given those folks a pass, like he had for Hazel. Whatever the case, nobody complained.

Colorful Amazon and Roman banners hung side-by-side from the rafters. The restored golden eagle stood proudly behind the praetor's table, and the walls were decorated with cornucopias - magical horns of plenty that spilled out recycling waterfalls of fruit, chocolate, and fresh-baked cookies. The cohort mingled freely with the Amazons, jumping from couch to couch as they pleased, and for once, the soldiers of the Fifth were welcome everywhere. Luckily the Amazons were being slightly nicer to any men who talked to them, maybe because this was our place and they were guests who knew to respect us, or maybe because the boys had been warned not to make any moves on them.

Everyone kept changing their seats, and I lost track of my friends again and again, finding them, then losing them, then finding and losing them all over again. Not to mention my dinner, that disappeared ages ago. There was a lot of flirting and arm wrestling - which seemed to be the same thing for the Amazons. In the end, Zy came up the final champion for the "taking on the winner" tournament that suddenly began. She still had her wings wrapped around her, but you wouldn't believe those were actual wings the way she wrapped and disguised them. This was the time that reminded me of Camp Half-Blood, making this place feel like family.

I ran into Kinzie who was explaining to Percy and Audrey how Hylla had defeated her challenger Otrera in two consecutive duels to the death, so the Amazons were now calling her Hylla Twice-Kill. Kinzie wasn't really a bad person now that we'd gotten to know her, and all the Amazons seemed awesome when they weren't turning against us and beating men for so much as speaking in their presence. I nearly forgot that the Amazons weren't against dating men like the Hunters of Artemis were until Percy had to explain that he had a girlfriend to Kinzie. Fortunately Kinzie took it well.

"Otrera stayed dead the second time," Kinzie explained, batting her eyes. "We have you to thank for that. If you ever need a new girlfriend…well, I think you'd look great in an iron collar and an orange jumpsuit." Even I couldn't tell if she was kidding or not. Percy politely thanked her and he and Audrey moved to change seats. I moved with them to try and talk, when suddenly Veon appeared out of the shadows behind them and shouted in their ears, not loud enough to get the attention of the place when it was already bustling in celebration, but enough to make Percy and Audrey shout in surprise, the latter exploding into water.

"Veon!" I scolded.

"What? I was trying to get him to turn to water. Sorry, bud. I tried. I don't think you're capable of transforming into a liquid." Audrey reformed and dumped her glass of juice on his head.

"Watch it, Death Breath. I've got a new trident and I'm not afraid to use it."

"Bring it on, Water Girl. I've got a lance."

"All right, no fighting," I said. "Audrey, please dry off Veon before he starts complaining about his favorite jacket being ruined to us later." She did so, throwing the juice in the trash can and summoning a refill. Once everyone had eaten and the plates stopped flying, Reyna made a short speech. She formally welcomed the Amazons, thanking them for their help, hugging her sister and everyone applauded. Reyna raised her hand for quiet.

"My sister and I haven't always seen eye to eye-" Hylla laughed.

"That's an understatement."

"She joined the Amazons, I joined Camp Jupiter. But looking around this room, I think we both made good choices. Strangely, our destinies were made possible by the hero you all just raised to praetor on the battlefield - Percy Jackson." More cheering. The sisters raised their glasses to Percy and beckoned him forward. Zy walked up along with him, her outfit and wings glowing to change into her armor, and she did her congratulations and approval as a praetor. Everybody asked for a speech, but I could sense Percy was nervous and didn't know what to say. He protested that he really wasn't the best person for praetor, but the campers drowned him out with applause.

"You've more than earned it, little bro!" Audrey called.

"Hey, how do you know you're older?!" He called.

"My birthday's in February, yours is in August! I'm 17 sucker!" A round of laughter and a few " _Oooh!_ "-s went out through the dining pavilion. My birthday was in May, so I was 17 as well, but Veon and Lucy's birthday's were in July so they were still 16 at the moment. Reyna took away Percy's probatio next plate. I caught Octavian shooting him a dirty look, before he turned to the crowd and smiled like this was all his idea. He ripped open a teddy bear and pronounced good omens for the coming year - Fortuna would bless us! Zy held up her hand.

"Percy Jackson, son of Neptune, first year of service!" She shouted. The Roman symbols burned onto Percy's arm matching the one on Audrey's: a trident, SPQR, and a single stripe. I knew it felt like someone was pressing a hot iron into his skin, but Percy managed not to scream. Octavian embraced him and whispered something into his ear that must not have been pleasant because Zy pinched him really hard and moved him away. He hissed and Zy stepped between them, giving Percy an eagle medal and purple cloak, symbols of the praetor.

"You earned these, Percy," Reyna said and Zy nodded in agreement. Queen Hylla pounded him on the back.

"And I've decided not to kill you."

"Um, thanks," Percy said. He made his way around the mess hall one more time since all the campers wanted him at their table. Audrey stayed with him as his bodyguard, and Vitellius the Lar followed, stumbling over his shimmering purple toga and readjusting his sword, telling everyone how he'd predicted Percy's rise to greatness.

"I demanded he joined the Fifth Cohort!" The ghost said proudly. "Spotted his talent right away!" Don the faun popped up in a nurse's hat, stacks of cookies in each hand.

"Man, congrats and stuff! Awesome! Hey, do you have any spare change?" Percy seemed embarrassed by all the attention, but he was happy when he saw Hazel and Frank being treated well. Everyone called them the saviors of Rome, and they deserved it. There was even talk about reinstating Frank's great-grandfather, Shen Lun, to the legion's roll of honor. Apparently he hadn't caused the 1906 earthquake after all.

I sat with Tyson and Ella for a while, who were honored guests at Dakota's table. Tyson kept calling for peanut butter sandwiches, eating them as fast as the nymphs could deliver. Ella perched at his shoulder on top of the couch and nibbled furiously on cinnamon rolls.

"Cinnamon rolls are good for harpies," She said. "June 24th is a good day. Roy Disney's birthday, and Fortuna's Feast, and Independence Day for Zanzibar. And Tyson." She glanced at Tyson, then blushed and looked away. I smiled and then moved to the next table. After dinner, the entire legion got the night off. Our group of friends drifted down to the city, which wasn't quite recovered from the battle, but the fires were out, most of the debris had been swept up, and the citizens were determined to celebrate. At the Pomerian Line, the statue of Terminus wore a paper party hat.

"Welcome, praetor!" He said. "You need any giants' faces smashed while you're in town, just let me know." I laughed and I saw Zy smiling.

"Thanks Terminus," Percy said. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Yes, good. Your praetor's cape is an inch too low on the left. There, that's better. Where is my assistant? Julia!" The little girl ran out from behind the pedestal. She was wearing a green dress tonight, and her hair was still in pigtails. When she smiled, I saw that her front teeth were starting to come in. She held up a box full of party hats. She gave her big adoring eyes, and we all were convinced to take some.

"Ah, sure," Percy said. "I'll take the blue crown." She offered Hazel a gold pirate hat.

"I'm gonna be Percy Jackson when I grow up," She told Hazel solemnly. Hazel smiled and ruffled her hair.

"That's a good thing to be, Julia," I said, taking a sparkly-flowery sun hat.

"Although," Frank said, picking out a hat shaped like a polar bear's head. "Frank Zhang would be good too."

"Frank!" Hazel said. Zy laughed and took mauve fedora. She'd changed back into her normal outfit, though her wings were now gone and replaced by her olive green jacket. Audrey took a blue baseball cap with  _SPQR_ embroidered on it and smiled.

"Just don't be Zytaveon, kid," Ve said before taking a black sorcery hat. "There is room for only one me in the world."

"Yeah, I don't think I could stand another you," Audrey said.

"Now  _that_  would be a nightmare," Zy agreed.

"You're one of a kind," I said cheerfully. We put on our hats and continued to the forum, which was lit up with multicolored lanterns. The fountains glowed purple, the coffee shops were doing brisk business, and street musicians filled the air with the sounds of guitar, lyre, panpipes, and armpit noises (though I didn't understand the last one very well). The goddess Iris must've been in a party mood too, as we saw a dazzling rainbow appear in the night sky when we strolled past the damaged Senate House. Unfortunately the goddess sent another blessing too - a gentle rain of gluten-free R.O.F.L. cupcake simulations, which I figured would either make cleaning up harder, or rebuilding easier. The cupcakes would make great bricks.

We wandered the streets for a while, when Percy said he was tired and decided to turn in. We knew he wanted some time alone, so we let him go. I suggested Hazel and Frank go off on their own, since they looked like they needed some time together, and the four of us wandered around a bit more.

"I've had to  _talk_  to  _so_  many people," Zy said. "The only downside to parties and celebrations like this is it gets old fast. Being obligated to speak so much can be downright annoying. How do you humans enjoy this?"

"Well, I don't," Ve said. "Even when the ghosts refused to shut up back in the Underworld, I could snap my fingers and  _make_  them."

"It's just that a lot of the people are strangers that mostly bothers me," Audrey said. "Otherwise, I think I'm good. Everyone's just  _swarming_  Percy, even though they were treating him like an outcast a week ago."

"Let's enjoy the peaceful times while we can, guys," I said.

"I enjoy a good battle," Zy said. "I've always loved a good war. Sure, this one was tiny, but it was still enjoyable. Next time, we need more giants in one place, though. My team is more than powerful enough to deal with  _one_  giant at a time."

"We're gonna go into a war later anyway. We'll get our chance."

"Well I feel awesome with this trident," Audrey said, holding up her right arm where it was sheathed into a cuff similar to Veon's.

"It provides similar abilities and power to Veon's lance," Zy explained. "I doubt you need it, but it will offer you flight when necessary. It's also a good way to channel your powers and acts as a backup reserve of energy should you need it. Like when you get that burst of energy from touching it. Now Zytaveon has the Lance of Hades, Audrey has the Trident of Poseidon, and my host has the Lightning Bolt of Zeus."

"You have a lightning bolt?" I asked.

"Wasn't Percy like, hunted for stealing that lightning bolt?" Audrey asked.

"I can summon one, but it takes a great deal of power. And yes, he was, but I overrule Zeus's authority and can borrow it when I need it."

"What about Emily?" Veon asked. "What does she get?"

"She has the Hearth of Hestia." Of course, during our time together, I've revealed my true mother to Audrey and Veon, though we've sworn to never say it aloud in case any of the gods hear. "And I've been meaning to give you this, but here's the Dove of Aphrodite." She passed over a silver pin in the shape of a dove. "You'll find out it's powers as you use it more." I took it and examined it, feeling it warm and loving energy from it, similar to the pendant my mother had given me. It was distinctly different in a way I can't really describe, but it was comforting in the end.

"Thanks."

"Wanna head back?" Veon asked.

"Uh, you guys go on ahead. I wanna get some snacks from that shop. Audrey, want to join me?"

"Uh, sure. You two go on." We walked off before they could protest, and I saw the two of them shrugging and walking off back to the camp. "Are they officially together or no?"

"I don't think so."

"What's stopping them?"

"The goddess."

"Oooh…"

"Well I do sense something else. Zy's got some turmoil in her, some kind of guilt or fear, and that makes her unwilling to even try a relationship, and Veon's not doing anything because  _she's_  not doing anything. He doesn't want to push the matter on her, and also doesn't want to get on the goddess's bad side."

"That's the logic that's kept them from getting together long before now. Because the other isn't doing anything,  _they_  aren't doing anything. They're never gonna get anywhere at this rate."

"Well, that and the demigod logic of life."

"Are you gonna play matchmaker? You know, as a daughter of Aphrodite."

"I'm not exactly a master at that, and I'm not sure that pushing them is the right thing to do if I secretly am and don't know it. My instincts say to stay away, and that's what I'm gonna do." She smiled.

"I'll take you up on that advice. I don't wanna get on that goddess's bad side either. You think they're gonna go straight back?"

"Who knows?"

"Well, so that they get a little quality time together, I say we continue the celebrations while we can."

"Okay."

* * *

First Person: Lucy

"You're brooding again."

"I have the right," I said.

"It's not a good look for you."

"That's your problem, not mine."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Things."

"What kind of things?"

Things like my brother. Things like your nightmares. Things like how life is gonna only get worse from here.  _You must break his heart. Tear his soul apart from the inside out. How he reacts from it will determine if he's worthy of moving to the next stage_. Hm, well great. His first trials are the nightmares, which haven't even begun. Hazel's blackouts, his father's interference, my interference, Nico's interference have all blocked out the majority of his nightmares. I'm  _finally_  permitted to just give this whole relationship thing a try (which I  _terrible_  at and have no experience with, mind you) and I have to do it all while knowing that I get to spill every secret to him in the end, do all that I possibly can to make him feel betrayed, hurt him in every was I can, and then hope for the best that he comes out fine. I can't even give him any promises or something, because my job is to make sure everything,  _everything_  about me is a lie. I have to make sure he hates me. I have to break him same as I did my brother. All I can do is hope that he doesn't share the same fate as him. If he does, not only will all my lying and crimes be for nothing, but Zyanya and her husband will be lost, and existence itself may cease.

"Hello? Brooding. Stop brooding. It's not healthy for you."

"How would you know? You're not a doctor."

"Then you should know better, Doctor Chikara."

"I'm not a doctor either, Ve. I'm a fighter. I'm not  _that_  involved in healing and medical stuff. I just know that I need it to survive."

"Okay, we're going to go and get Emily if you keep this up, because you are seriously negative right now."

"I'm always like this."

"No you're not."

"How would you know?"

"I've spent every day with you for the last, what? Two years? Three?"

"Sure, but-"

"So I know that you have a cheerful side in there. We just completed our second quest. We've got basically one night to be happy about it, contrary to last time. It was a long wait for six months to go by in anticipation, but only one night of peace feels like not enough."

" ** _You're supposed to be getting close, dimwit. Stop denying everything he's saying. Try to get close. What am I supposed to do? In the movies, they talk about stuff a lot. Check. They usually talk about stuff that they can bond over. Yeah, try that. And stop talking to yourself. Talking to the goddess is fine. Talking to yourself is weird._** "

"Yeah, it does. I…when I was on my own, one night was usually more than I could ask for. I'd usually spend it sleeping."

"You don't really seem the type to have a past like that," He said cautiously.

"Well, I'm a great actor. Zyanya had to set me up with a whole fake identity when I turned myself in at the States to avoid being imprisoned or deported as an illegal. Honestly, she hates how hard it is to be a demigod these days. "There was a time when being a demigod, or even a god, was as well-known as iPhones. The gods revealed themselves to humans that they were in love with all the time, and we didn't have to deal with legal issues!" I find society a lot harder than movies and books and such make them out to be, and some of them already portray it as difficult." He smiled.

"Can't she hear you if you do an impression of her?"

"She's been going to sleep more often, what with her husband gone and such. Death's release gave her a power boost, but she's far from full strength. I can handle myself without her, anyway."

" ** _This is_** **not** ** _going in the direction I wanted it to. Change the topic. What's something he wants to talk about?_** "

"So…I've been thinking about what you said. About my brother, I mean. I really do want to talk about him. It's just…I don't know how to. I've never really told anyone about him. I don't know how. I've just dealt with it on my own, and clearly that's not getting me anywhere. You…you tell me to talk about it, and that you're curious, so tell me what you want to know."

"I just want to know what you're willing to tell me. I'm no therapist, and Emily's the person who knows how to deal with people's emotions. I don't know what's pushing your limits, what's too much, and I don't  _want_ to push you too far. And not just because I know you can blast me to cinders if I do."

"I wouldn't do that! Well…maybe if I was  _really_  angry, but not the point. I don't know how to talk about things, I never have. I've only got the goddess's knowledge to go on, and a lot of it is confusing. In the words of Robin Williams: "Phenomenal cosmic powers! Itty-bitty living space." Not a lot of room in my human brain for all of the goddess's information, and a lot of it doesn't make sense since Zyanya's not human and gets confused by human things. What should I tell you about?"

"What is there to tell me?"

"Uh, well…" We walked out of the city and to the camp. We saw Mrs. O'Leary playing with Hannibal in the Field of Mars. She could tango with Cerberus, but I knew Hannibal would be fine. They seemed to be having fun. They frolicked around, slamming into each other, breaking fortifications, and generally having an excellent time. The two of us walked to a hill overlooking Camp Jupiter and sat down on the grass. All bets were on the table now, so I could tell him anything as long as it would draw him closer to me.

"He was about three years younger than me. I met him when I was around nine, and I…lost him at just after my twelfth birthday before I came to the States and enrolled in middle school."

"Hey, your birthday's coming up, right?"

"Yeah, well so is yours. You're July 9th right? Two weeks from tomorrow."

"And you're the 15th. Three weeks from today."

"But I'm still not getting you a birthday present."

"Aw, come on!" I smiled.

"Well if you want one  _that_  badly…"

"Of course I do! I've already gotten yours."

"Really? Well good for you." I wondered what he got me.

" ** _Try harder._** "

" ** _Be quite, Zyanya, I can handle this._** "

" ** _Sure. At this rate you'll be dating in a year._** "

" ** _I said be quiet. Whose fault is it that we're not dating yet? You're the one who said it wasn't gonna happen._** "

" ** _I said it would be a while, and that was_** **six months ago** ** _._** "

" ** _Oh, so you_** **weren't** ** _acting like an overprotective parent?_** "

" ** _I don't love him yet, darling._** "

"Look, I've wondered about something," I began.

"Hm?"

"Remember the Wolf House six months ago?"

"Sure, of course."

"Remember how you kissed me?" He flinched.

"Uh…yeah…?"

"I'm sorry I didn't address that sooner."

"Well, Zyanya did, so I assumed you agreed."

"That was just her being her. If you're not host of her husband, she doesn't allow me to date you. Anyway, she's being a bit quieter now and…I was wondering if…we could give a relationship a try. I warn you, I don't know anything about relationships besides what I've seen on TV and Zyanya's memories, and the goddess doesn't have much love advice to give me. And videogames, of course. Not to mention the fact that we're going on a dangerous and deadly journey where we could die at any time, but if the other demigods can do it, maybe I can to."

"I…what about Zyanya? We're not gonna have to like, try and keep it a secret from her, are we?"

" ** _You'd never be able to do that, sweetheart._** "

"No, no. She says it's fine. She does say that she'd not obligated to show any favoritism towards you when she's out, but she's going to sleep more often, and at best she's going to offer a little knowledge and power here and there. Anyway…I'm up for it. If you are, that is…"

"Yeah! I mean…I'm fine with it."

"Okay then. So…what do we do now?" He smiled before laughing. "What?"

"I have no idea. I guess we just wing it. As drama experts, we should be great at improvising."

"So then what are we supposed to do?"

"Don't know. Be all lovey-dovey? If Aphrodite is anything to go by, I'm not a fan of it."

"We're agreed there. She's got her good sides, but I'm not that kind of person."

"I guess we just act like we normally do and see what happens."

"Well…" I took his arm and put it around my shoulders. "This is what couples do in movies and videogames."

"Uh…okay."

"What? You're now officially allowed to do this. Are we gonna have to make a list?"

"I don't know. How often am I supposed to kiss you?"

"Whenever you want, if we don't have bystanders. I'm not a person who likes PDA, whether it's someone else's or my own. Are we supposed to announce that we're dating?" He shrugged.

"I don't really want to make a big deal about it. We are going to be the most awkward couple in existence."

"Yes, yes we are," I said resolutely, making him laugh. So this was a start. I'd get a couple weeks to get closer, then my job would be to do everything I can in order to break his heart.

" ** _We must succeed, my host. His heart must know great pain, and only if he overcomes it, shall we be able to move forward. We're running out of time. Do not fail me._** "

" ** _I won't._** "

 _Gomen'nasai_ , my best friend. I'm sorry, but you must hold the weight of creation on your shoulders. And I must break your soul before you do.


	31. The Argo II Approaches

First Person: Zytaveon

Tonight's nightmare was terrible. There were an infinite amount of souls that attacked me, showing me their sorrows, their pain. They fought me, determined to show me their suffering and make me feel worse. It felt like I was drowning in pain, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't see. I couldn't feel my body, but I knew that everything I  _could_  feel was being torn apart, both physically and mentally. Was I screaming, or was that the souls? I wanted to find something to ground me, something to feel so that I could defend myself and/or fight back, but there was nothing. So I went through the assault for an infinite amount of time.

I'm not sure when it started; I'm not sure when it ended. I do know that when I woke up I was breathing hard and extremely fatigued. My body tingled, and I couldn't tell if I was so hot, I was cold, or if I was so cold, I was hot. The tingle slowly but surely faded as my body temperature returned to normal and I laid in my bunk unable or unwilling to fall asleep again. I don't understand what's been going on, but these nightmares couldn't be just coincidence. But like Zy said, I shouldn't let them get to me. If I got scared and let my enemy know that what they were doing was effective, I'd only be giving them what they wanted. Still, I  _was_  scared on the inside. Whatever this meant, it couldn't be good.

I ended up staying awake until morning, joining Percy, Hazel, Frank, Emily, Audrey, and Zy, who also rose early. We ate an early breakfast and then headed into the city before the senate was due to convene. On the way we passed the stables, where Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary were sleeping in. Tyson snored on a bed of hay next to the unicorns, a blissful look on his face like he was dreaming of ponies. Mrs. O'Leary had rolled on her back and covered her ears with her paws. On the stable roof, Ella roosted in a pile of old Roman scrolls, her head tucked under her wings.

When we got to the forum, we sat by the fountains and watched the sun come up. The citizens were already busy sweeping up cupcake simulations, confetti, and party hats from last night's celebration. The engineer corps was working on a new arch that would commemorate the victory over Polybotes. Hazel said she'd even heard talk of a formal triumph for us - a parade around the city followed by a week of games and celebrations - but all of us knew that we'd never get the chance. We didn't have time.

Percy explained he had a dream of talking to Juno, and how she said all the normal things: how we needed to defeat Gaea together, how she'd had Jason and the others free her from her prison, and how Percy wasn't needed at Camp Jupiter until now, when he could help save the Romans at their moment of great crisis. Apparently, Percy being missing for the whole eight months thing was necessary because Juno couldn't handle opposing Gaea, working behind Jupiter's back, protecting our friends and protecting him all at once. He had to be hidden from his friends  _and_  hidden from Gaea's monsters and schemes, so she decided him taking this nap was apparently the best thing to do. She said he'd be a distraction and a loose cannon.

But to more important matters, Percy had gained the trust of the Romans, and Jason had learned to trust the Greeks. Now the Argo II was built and the two of them would unite the camps. Apparently Percy was glue that would hold the seven together because of his unswerving loyalty. After the whole war with Kronos in Manhattan, Jupiter was apparently appalled by asking for demigod help again, and he thinks the giants can be defeated without us and Gaea can be forced back into her slumbers (another reason to find Jupiter/Zeus a fool; if we lose this war, I blame him). Juno said we needed to sail to the ancient lands and close the Doors of Death to convince Jupiter that we're worthy of fighting side-by-side with the gods (we're already worthy, dude) and it will be the greatest quest since Aeneas sailed from Troy, or something.

If the Greeks and Romans don't get along, Gaea has already won (already determined) but also Annabeth would be troublesome and have a great task ahead of her in Rome. I mean, the troublesome but might just be Juno/Hera and her resentment for Annabeth, but the great task in Rome…Ella had said something about a Mark of Athena burning or something through Rome, right? And Annabeth was a daughter of Athena…? Coincidence? We're demigods, of course not.

"The gods were busy last night," Hazel said. "Show them, Frank." Frank reached into his coat pocket and produced a thin paperback book with a note on red stationery.

"These were on my pillow this morning." He passed them around. "Like the Tooth Fairy visited." The book was  _The Art of War_  by Sun Tzu. I didn't know of the book, but I could guess who sent it. The note said: " _Good job, kid. A real man's best weapon is his mind. This was your mom's favorite book. Give it a read. P.S. I hope your friend Percy has learned some respect for me_."

"Wow," Percy said, handing the book back. "Maybe Mars  _is_  different from Ares. I don't think Ares can read." Frank flipped through the pages.

"There's a lot in here about sacrifice, knowing the cost of war. Back in Vancouver, Mars told me I'd have to put my duty ahead of my life or the entire war would go sideways. I thought he meant freeing Thanatos, but now…I don't know. I'm still alive, so maybe the worst is yet to come."

"Well of course," Zy said. "This war has only just begun. You all risk your lives if you go forward."

"You were willing to burn up to save the quest, Frank," Emily said. "You've done an amazing job, and the gods couldn't ask for more." Hazel squeezed Frank's hand. They seemed pretty comfortable around each other, not quite as nervous an awkward. I wonder if they started dating. Maybe I could watch them and see how this whole relationship thing worked.

"Hazel, how about you and Veon?" Percy asked. "Any word from Pluto?" She looked down, several diamonds popping out of the ground at her feet.

"No," She admitted. "In a way, I think he sent a message through Thanatos. My name wasn't on that list of escaped souls. It should have been."

"Pluto can't visit or even talk to her without acknowledging she's alive," I explained. "Then he'd have to enforce the laws of death and have Thanatos bring her back to the Underworld. I got a personal pass considering the circumstances surrounding my death, but she'd be taken back like any other escapee. I think he's turning a blind eye. I think he wants us to find Nico. Pluto or Hades, he cares a lot for his children, and he's worried about Nico as much as we are."

"We'll find him," Percy promised. "As soon as the ship gets here, we'll sail for Rome." Hazel and Frank exchanged uneasy looks.

"Percy…" Frank began. "If you want us to come along, we're in. But are you sure? I mean…we know you've got tons of friends at the other camp. And you could pick anyone at Camp Jupiter now. If we're not part of the seven, we'd understand-"

"Are you kidding?" Percy asked. "You think I'd leave my team behind? After surviving Fleecy's wheat germ, running from cannibals, and hiding under blue giant butts in Alaska? Come on!" The tension broke and we all started cracking up, maybe a little too much, but it was a relief to be alive, with the warm sun shining, and not worrying - at least for the moment - about sinister faces appearing in the shadows of the hills. Hazel took a deep breath.

"The prophecy Ella gave us - about the child of wisdom, and the mark of Athena burning through Rome…do you know what that's about?"

"I'm not sure," Percy admitted. "I think there's more to the prophecy. Maybe Ella can remember the rest of it." Frank slipped his book into his pocket.

"We need to take her with us - I mean, for her own safety. If Octavian finds out Ella has the Sibylline Books memorized…"

"It's likely she'd be treated no better than what Phineas had planned for her," Zy said. "Octavian uses prophecies to keep his power at this camp, and getting ahold of Ella would give him a lot of power. His prophecy abilities seem like a front at first, but no one can deny that they're real. With Ella, he could claim to be able to predict the future. In the past, this is what makes people worshiped as false gods. He's the kind of mortal I don't like. We've got to protect Ella, at least until this war is over. Maybe we can convince her-"

"Percy!" Tyson called. He came running from across the forum, Ella fluttering behind him with a scroll in her talons. When we reached the fountain, Ella dropped the scroll in Percy's lap.

"Special delivery," She said. "From an aura. A wind spirit. Yes, Ella got a special delivery."

"Good morning brothers and sister!" Tyson said. He had hay in his hair and peanut butter in his teeth. "This scroll is from Leo. He is funny and small."

"Leo?" Emily asked. "Quick, open it!" She spread the scroll across Percy's lap, a video recording flickering on the parchment. A kid in Greek armor grinned up at us, with his impish face, curly black hair, ad wild eyes, like he'd just had several cups of coffee. He was sitting in a dark room with timber walls like a ship's cabin, oil lamps swinging back and forth on the ceiling. Hazel stifled a scream.

"What? What's wrong?" Frank asked. That's right, Sammy.

"Hey!" Leo said in the video. "Greetings from your friends at Camp Half-Blood, et cetera. This is Leo. I'm the…" He looked off screen. "What's my title? Am I like admiral, or captain, or-"

"Repair boy!" Piper called from off screen.

"Very funny, Piper," Leo grumbled. He turned back to the parchment screen. "So yeah, I'm…ah…supreme commander of the Argo II. Yeah, I like that! Anyway, we're gonna be sailing towards you in about, I dunno, an hour in this big mother warship. We'd appreciate it if you'd not, like, blow us out of the sky or anything. Hopefully Zyanya can explain. So okay! See you soon. Yours in demigod-ishness, and all that. Peace out!" The parchment turned black.

"We never did come up with a title for Leo, did we?" Audrey asked.

"I figured he's already come up with one," Emily said.

"Well I say he's doing well," I commented.

"It can't be…" Hazel muttered.

"What?" Frank asked. "You know that guy?" Hazel looked like she'd seen a ghost, and I couldn't blame her. The resemblances between Leo and Sammy were uncanny. What was Sammy's last name? They  _had_  to be related or something.

"It's Sammy Valdez," Hazel said. Valdez. He  _was_  related. "But how…how…?"

"It can't be," Percy said. "That guy's name is Leo. And it's been 70 something years. It has to be a…" A coincidence? Yeah, there's no such thing as a coincidence in our lives. Horns began to blow in the distance, the senators marching into the forum with Reyna in the lead.

"They'll be here soon," Zy said. "Time to go to the senate and convince them to stand down."

The Senate House was packed. Queen Hylla, Frank, Hazel, Emily, Audrey, and I sat in the front row with the senators, veterans and ghosts filling the back rows. Tyson and Ella were sitting in the back, Tyson continuing to wave and grin at Percy and Audrey. I was hesitant about having Ella and Octavian in a room full of senate members, but there wasn't anything to be done. Reyna and Percy occupied matching praetor' chairs on the dais, while Zy stood beside them in her armor.

Of course when we'd explained what Percy's story about Juno's plan and the Prophecy of Seven, Octavian was working tirelessly in order to counter him. He must've been going on for an eternity (five minutes, really) and the senate was shifting restlessly. Most of them were too afraid to interrupt Octavian while he was on a roll. Meanwhile the sun climbed high in the sky, shining through the broken senate roof and giving Octavian and natural spotlight.

"Why should we trust these Greeks?" Octavian was saying. "The camp is safe. I'll be the first to congratulate our heroes for bringing back the legion's eagle and so much Imperial gold! Truly we have been blessed with good fortune. But why do more? Why tempt fate?"

"I'm glad you asked," Percy said standing, taking the question as an opening. Zy smiled beside him, willing to back Percy up all the way.

"I wasn't-" Octavian stammered.

"-a part of the quest, yes, we know," Zy said.

"And you're wise to let me explain, since I was," Percy continued. Some of the senators snickered, and Octavian had no choice but to sit down and try not to look embarrassed. Zy looked to Percy and nodded for him to continue. "Gaea is waking. We've defeated two of her giants, but that's only the beginning. The real war will take place in the old land of the gods. The quest will take us to Rome, and eventually to Greece." An uneasy ripple spread through the senate. "I know, I know. You've always thought of the Greeks as your enemies, and there a good reason for that."

"The gods have kept your two camps apart because whenever you meet, you fight," Zy said. "We've gone to great measures to make sure you have no knowledge of the other's existence, bending the Mist to all our power in order to make sure you never remember encounters and never meet each other in the first place, if possible. I find the conflict between you very childish, but that's mortal for you. In any case, that has to change if we are to defeat Gaea. That's what the Prophecy of Seven means. Seven demigods, Greek and Roman, will have to close the Doors of Death together.

"Ha!" A Lar shouted from the back row. "The last time a praetor tried to interpret the Prophecy of Seven, it was Michael Varus, who lost our eagle in Alaska! Why should we believe you now?" Octavian smiled smugly, and some of his allies in the senate began nodding and grumbling. Even some of the veterans looked uncertain.

"I am far more knowledgeable than a praetor," Zy said calmly. "This prophecy is beginning. Percy Jackson carried Juno herself across the Tiber, who told us that the Prophecy of Seven is coming to pass. Mars also appeared to you in person. If I am not enough to go by as I am currently in a human host, do you think two of your most important gods would appear at this camp in person if the situation wasn't serious?"

"She's right," Gwen said from the second row. "I, for one, trust Zyanya's word, along with her team's word and Percy's. Greek or not, they restored the honor of the legion. You saw them on the battlefield last night. Would anyone here say they are not true heroes of Rome?" Nobody argued, and a few people nodded in agreement. Reyna stood and we watched her anxiously, knowing her opinion could change everything - for better or worse.

"You claim this is a combined quest," She said. "You claim Juno intends for us to work with this other group, Camp Half-Blood. Yet the Greeks have been our enemies for eons. They are known for their deceptions."

"The Greeks aren't all children of Hermes," I said. "Or Mercury, I guess.

"It's not like their life goal is to lie and deceive you to bring down the Roman Empire," Emily continued. "If anything, they'd only attack you because you attacked them. I don't even think they know you guys existed before Juno/Hera and her meddling switched up your leaders. You have warred for many millennia, yes. But what your ancestors have done and who they are don't reflect who  _you_  have to be. You are your own people, and you don't have to war against the Greeks just because your ancestors did. And it's not their fault that they were born Greek, no more than it's your fault that you were born Roman. There's no point in fighting each other. Sure, the Greeks are different, but in the end, all of us are demigods trying to survive the world we live in, the curse we live under."

"Enemies  _can_  become friends," Audrey said. "A week ago, would you have thought the Romans and Amazons would be fighting side by side?" Queen Hylla laughed.

"She's got a point."

"It only takes a few good people to bring together sworn enemies," Zy said. "There will always be rotten apples…" Her eyes moved to Octavian for a split second. "…but all of you must stop and consider the only reason you hate the Greeks is because of past experience, no experience that any of you have. Before my team and Percy, how many of you have actually met a Greek in person and talked to them, no fighting involved?" No one raised their hands. "Then none of you have any right to claim that the Greeks are deceivers. Greeks in the  _past_  may have been, but it's the only way they could possibly stand up to a force as great as the Romans in battle. Now the Stoll brothers, children of Hermes, I can understand why you'd…not prefer them, but that's not how all the Greeks are."

"The demigods of Camp Half-Blood have  _already_  been working with Camp Jupiter," Percy said. "We just didn't realize it. During the Titan War last summer, while you were attacking Mount Othrys, we were defending Mount Olympus in Manhattan. I fought Kronos myself." Reyna backed up, almost tripping over her toga.

"You… _what?_ "

"Well did you think the guy just disappeared when his place fell?" Audrey asked. "How did the Romans just  _accept_  this fact, again?"

"I know it's hard to believe," Percy said. "But I think we've earned your trust. We're on your side. Hazel and Frank - I'm sure they're meant to go with me on this quest. The other four are on their way from Camp Half-Blood right now. One of them is Jason Grace, your old praetor."

"Oh, come on!" Octavian shouted. "He's making things up now." Reyna frowned.

"It is a lot to believe. Jason is coming back with a bunch of Greek demigods? You say they're going to appear in the sky in a heavily armed warship, but we shouldn't be worried."

"The warship is for the quest," Veon said. "They'd come in a bus, but I hear they don't have busses here."

"Trust me," Zy said. "These demigods do not come as hostiles. And if you just take a look upon them, you will see Jason is among their numbers. My assisted him on a quest before to free Hera/Juno, long story there, and I was not allowed to say anything or the Fates would get on my tail, and if any of you have met them, you'll know that they can keep the gods in line. Why do you think gods don't help out more often?"

"Just let them land," Percy said. "Hear them out. Jason will back up everything we're telling you. I swear it on my life."

"On your life?" Octavian looked meaningfully at the senate. "We will remember that, if this turn out to be a trick." Right on cue, a messenger rushed into the Senate House, gasping as if he'd run all the way from camp.

"Praetors! Lady Zyanya! I'm sorry to interrupt, but out scouts report-"

"Ship!" Tyson said happily, pointing at the hole in the ceiling. "Yay!" Sure enough, a Greek warship appeared out of the clouds, about half a mile away, descending toward the Senate House. As it got closer, I could see bronze shields glinting along the sides, billowing sails, and a familiar-looking figurehead shaped like a metal dragon. On the tallest mast, a big white flag of truce snapped in the wind. Emily laughed and stood.

"They're here! Come on!" She grabbed Audrey's hand and they ran out of the Senate House.

"Praetors!" The messenger shouted. "My Lady, what are your orders?" Octavian shot to his feet.

"You need to ask?!" He shouted, his face red with rage as he strangled his teddy bear. "The omens are  _horrible!_  This is a trick, a deception. Beware Greeks bearing gifts!" He jabbed his finger at Percy. "His  _friends_ are attacking in a warship. He has  _led_  them here. We must attack!"

"Octavian, silence!" Zyanya shouted. "Romans are wise and honor those who request an audience in peace talks, are you not? Are you a savage Roman who would attack anyone without at least hearing them out? They could've fired upon you already, yet they have not. Consider that Apollo is Apollo in both Greek and Roman terms. Of all people, I would consider you someone who could understand that Greeks aren't always different from Romans. I will defend this camp with all my power, but these are not enemies."

"You all raised me as praetor for a reason," Percy said. "I will fight for this camp with my life, but she's right, these aren't hostiles. I say we stand ready, but do  _not_  attack. Let them land, let them speak. If it is a trick, then I will fight with you, as I did last night, but it is  _not_  a trick." All eyes turned towards Reyna. She studied the approaching warship, and her expression hardened. She could try to veto Percy's orders, but Zyanya would override her if necessary. We don't want to make conflict, and that would only make things worse. But I knew Reyna was a wise woman, and not one to jump to conclusions on people. The warship was growing closer, and they still hadn't made any hostile moves. All we were asking for was a chance to talk. Was that really too much?

"Hold your fire," Reyna said. "But have the legion stand ready. Percy Jackson is your duly chosen praetor and Zyanya is a wise and powerful goddess with more knowledge than any of us. We will trust you word, unless we are given clear reason not to. Senators, let us adjourn to the forum and meet our…new friends." The senators stampeded out of the auditorium - whether from excitement or panic, I wasn't sure, though Emily and Audrey were already out there. Perhaps a mix of both.

Tyson ran after them yelling, "Yay! Yay!" with Ella fluttering around his head. Octavian gave Zy and Percy a disgusted look, then threw down his teddy bear and followed the crowd. I walked over to Zy, Percy and Reyna while Hazel and Frank stood.

"I support you, Percy, Zyanya," Reyna said. "I trust your judgment. But for all our sakes, I hope we can keep peace between our campers and your Greek friends."

"We all want that, Reyna," Zy said. "We will keep the peace." She glanced up at the warship, her expression turning a little wistful.

"You say Jason is aboard…I hope that's true. I've missed him." She marched outside.

"They're coming down right in the forum," Frank said.

"Oh, Terminus is going to have a heart attack," I said.

"Percy, you swore on your life," Hazel said. "Romans take that seriously. If anything goes wrong, even by accident, Octavian is going to kill you. You know that, right?" Percy smiled despite the stakes, throwing one arm around Hazel and one arm around Frank.

"Come on," He said. "Let me introduce you to my  _other_  family." Zy put an arm around my waist with a sigh, and I put my arm over her shoulders.

"Well, let's go and hope our enemies don't take advantage of this delicate moment in history."

"In other words: Let's go see our friends!" She smiled.

"Right. Let's go."


End file.
